Arco
by Dr. Cat
Summary: Sequel to Thunderstorm, so I suggest reading that first. Dib and RosaRed are in some trouble and it's up to the rest to save them from a famillir foe.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Invader Zim and all characters of the show are property of Jhonen Vasquez, and nickelodeon. My characters belong to well, me. *note* This is a sequel to a story called Thunderstorm, so read that one first then this one, or you will be confused.  
  
Arco  
  
"What are you doing?" Startled by the sudden question in the dark, Dib dropped some of the items in his arms. He turned around quickly to face his younger sister, Gaz, who was blocking the stairway.  
  
"Don't do that," Dib whispered as he bent down to collect his fallen things.  
  
"It's twelve at night, and your wondering around. What are you doing?" Gaz asked again, noticing, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, that he was wearing his trenchcoat and boots, but still had on his pajamas.  
  
"Nothing . . . I'm just going on the roof, what are you doing?" Dib asked quickly tucking the equipment he had in his coat. He really didn't want to say what he was doing and knew that his sister would probably go back to bed if he was just going to "look for paranormal garbage" as she called it.  
  
"No, what are you really doing?" Gaz asked, this time with more assertiveness. This surprised him, but then agin Gaz always seemed to take him a back.  
  
"I'm just going out for a while. Okay," Dib said becoming irritated by the questioning. Gaz smirked a little and allowed Dib to pass down the stairs of their newly made home. A lot changed over the past few months. However, certain things, such as her harassing her brother, stayed the same.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to be meeting Red, would you?" Gaz asked, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. Dib didn't turn around. He just glared at the front door handle ahead of him. Gaz smiled to herself knowing she had struck a nerve. Dib and Red obviously liked one another, but had decided to just remain friends. 'Yeah very close friends,' the gothic girl thought. The pale boy suddenly turned from the front door, nearly dropping the now visible telescope and quilt that it was wrapped in.  
  
"I forgot something," he said running back up the stairs, littering them with magazines and books as he went. Gaz just looked on as he ran into his room making an awful amount of noise.  
  
"Moron," she said as she carefully made her way down the cluttered stairs to acquire something to drink. She reached the fridge to notice that the two sodas that had been there for days were now gone.  
  
"I can't believe . . . ," the girl mumbled as she grabbed the milk carton. She poured a glass and walked back out to the living room to see her brother balancing the two soft drinks in one hand, with books and magazines stuffed under his arms, and a blanketed telescope in the other hand.  
  
"Give it to me now," Gaz demanded. Dib looked up at her with confusion and strain.  
  
"What are you talking about . . . what do you want?" he asked.  
  
"You know what I want," Gaz said coldly taking a step closer to the pale boy. Dib took a step back and stared at his little sister.  
  
"No, I don't um . . . know," he said as he raised his arm to look at his digital watch, clumsily dropping everything in that arm, "Look, I got to go." He quickly scrambled his belongings together and hobbled right on out of the front door. "Oh no you don't," Gaz growled following him. However, she was shocked to see that he had disappeared. She looked down at her glass of milk and snorted.  
  
"You will pay," she said before slamming the door behind her. Suddenly a black spike sprouted from the Membrane hedges. Attached to the pointed, black hair was a very relived Dib.  
  
"That was easier than I thought it would be," he said rising from his shrub hideaway picking twigs from his hair. The paranormal-obsessed boy then gathered up his items and headed down the sidewalk. What he failed to notice was that another figure was standing behind a parked car on the side of the street, watching his every move. The dark silhouetted creature took off in a separate direction from it's trenchcoated subject. Meanwhile, Gaz had made it to her room where she drank up the glass of calcium, and climbed into bed. She glanced out of her curtained windows to see an unbalanced figure walk along. Knowing that it was her brother, she shrugged it off, allowing him to live for now, being that she was fairly tired. She placed the cup down on her bed stand and rested her head on the soft pillows of her bed. While in the midst of falling asleep a loud clang awoke the girl. She growled as the noise had come from inside the house. Assuming it was Dib, coming back for some other object of her desire, she hopped out of bed and walked to the closed bedroom door. The gothic girl opened the door and quietly stepped into the hall. She was surprised to see that it was her father, who had just come up from his basement lab, newly constructed. He had been spending more time at home now that he did most of his work in the new house to begin with. He had also, through the past couple of months, geared his attention towards space exploration.  
  
"Gas what are you doing up?" he asked reaching the top of the stairs.  
  
"I thought you were Dib," Gaz said, not completely aware that she had just ratted her brother out.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked giving his daughter a questionable look. Gaz, realizing her slip up, thought about her options. Even though it would be pay back for what he had done, it would be more punishment than necessary. Professor Membrane still didn't agree with his son's obsession with the paranormal, even after that night. Dib was not at all interested in taking up 'real science'. They would constantly get into debates about what happened only so long ago and butt heads on Dib's running around chasing whatever fool thing was out there. It was odd that their dad all of a sudden started playing a more parental role, and it was Dib who was having the hardest time adjusting. At first Gaz saw it as amusing that her brother was for once silenced and sent to his room, however, as time pasted, she sort of felt sorry for her older sibling. It was bad enough that he was hounded at school for being different, now his dad was pressuring him on his summer break.  
  
"I mean I thought you were Rib, the cat burglar that has been terrorizing the nation," Gaz lied. Membrane eyed her suspiciously, but shrugged it off as young imagination.  
  
"No, it's just me, now you should go back to bed and get some rest," he said, patting her on the head. With that the girl did disembark on her journey back to bed. Before he decided to go to bed though, Membrane wanted check on his son to make sure he was all right. He walked down to Dib's room and cracked the already slightly ajar door. Meanwhile, a few blocks down, Dib waited in the shadows of an old oak tree. He had rested his things against the trunk and kept an eye out for his partner in studies, and very close friend, Red. As he turned his head to look down a street the boy was startled by a light tap on the shoulder. He nearly jumped up the oak, before he turned to see Red standing there in her trenchcoat, tennis shoes, and red pj's. She was also carrying a few notebooks, magazines, and a bag of chips. Unlike Dib, however, she wrapped her blanket into a carrying case for her items.  
  
"No reason to have a heart attack, it's just me," Red laughed at Dib's expression.  
  
"Well I brought my stuff, where should we go," Dib said calming down a little. Red thought for a moment before suggesting they go to Chris' tree house, sense it wasn't that far away. Chris was Red's long time friend, even before her dad died. Dib agreed, being he didn't want to stray to far from home, knowing his dad finished work in his lab around four. The only reason he was wearing his pajamas was in case of an emergency he could just quickly jump into his bed. As the two of them walked and talked about the happenings of that week, someone else crept along behind them. Dib, having the feeling he was being watched would whirl around every once in a while only to see nothing.  
  
"What's wrong?" Red asked feeling a little uneasy herself.  
  
"I'm not sure. Maybe I'm imaging it," he said continuing to walk. They reached Chris' house and snuck to the back.  
  
"Chris, Chris," Red whispered as she tapped on her friend's bedroom window, which luckily was on the first floor. A light came on and a young boy with blond hair and green eyes appeared in the window. He smiled and opened it.  
  
"Hey guys, whatcha need?" he asked looking at his late coming guests.  
  
"Can we use the tree house?" Red asked.  
  
"Sure, just wait a sec," Chris whispered as he closed the window. Within minutes, he was in the back yard with them holding a large quilt. He wasn't accepting company but being it was summer vacation and there was nothing else to do but hang with his friends he decided to join them.  
  
"Okay, lets go." When all three had climbed the wooden structure, they set up their blankets and equipment.  
  
"Who wants some chips," Red asked, tearing the bag open. Both boys stuck out their hands to receive a bundle of chips, then Red took out her own handful.  
  
"I'm sorry, only have two sodas," Dib said setting down two cans.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll share one with you, if that's all right?" Red asked turning towards Dib.  
  
"Sure as long as you don't backwash." Red gave him a playful scold. "I'm kidding. Lets set up the telescope now." Chris looked at them and rolled his eyes. Anyone who was half brain dead could tell they liked one another. Why they just wanted to remain friends was beyond him, but oh well. The tree spent the next couple hours studying the stars, listening for strange radio signals, eating chips, telling stories, reading over magazines that were over several different topics such as: UFO's, weather phenomenon, and Chris' favorite, comic books. None of them were worried about lack of sleep for it was summer, however, when Dib looked to his digital watch he nearly chocked.  
  
"I have to go home guys," Dib said grabbing his things.  
  
"Why?" Red asked not knowing that his dad didn't know about this.  
  
"Well, see I know we were planning this, but my dad doesn't really want me to be out looking for stuff, so . . . "  
  
"So you didn't tell him," Red finished nonchalantly.  
  
"Right."  
  
"Oh, good luck then, isn't he home," Red said.  
  
"Don't remind me."  
  
"Maybe he'll be cool about it, or he won't notice. My dad dose any how," Chris added in.  
  
"Thanks, bye Chris, see you later Red," Dib said climbing down the steps of the tree house.  
  
"Bye Dib. Call me when you have time," Red called down.  
  
"Okay," Dib said as he ran out of the backyard.  
  
"Call me sweet heart," Chris mocked. Red, not liking the comment, beamed him over the head with a fairly large weather book.  
  
Dib slunk into his house quietly listening for any signs of his dad. Hearing none, he crept up the stairs and to his room, being careful not to make a noise. He opened his door and tip toed inside before closing it. With a mischievous smile he laid his things down next to the door.  
  
"Home free," he breathed.  
  
"Home yes, free, I don't think so," a voice that was horribly familiar to the young boy spoke. Dib's posture sank as he turned around to see his father sitting on the edge of his bed.  
  
  
  
~*Enjoy :-) 


	2. Chapter Two

Arco II  
  
"I . . .I can explain," Dib said, allowing his childhood instincts to take over.  
  
"Go ahead, start explaining," Membrane said calmly. Dib tried to think of a way out of this situation.  
  
"Would you believe I was in the bathroom," Dib said meekly.  
  
"For three hours?!" Membrane said, allowing his voice to become more stern. Dib decided to use a different tactic, silence, but the funny thing was his dad was using the same plan. It didn't matter however, for the father's stance portrayed his message loud and clear. The two remained in a stiff silence until it was broken by the Professor's words.  
  
"You leave me with not choice but to ground you."  
  
"What?!" Dib said with more shock than anger. He had never really been punished let alone grounded before.  
  
"Yes, for one week," his father reiterated. Dib didn't know what to say. He liked it better when his dad didn't pay attention to him as much but then again he did want his dad's attention, just not in a negative way. His father stood up, more disappointed then anything, and walked out of his son's room. He sighed, not knowing if it was right to punish Dib for a behavior that he had allowed for so long, but what was he supposed to do? Dib threw off his boots and trenchcoat making sure they made a loud noise. He stocked over to his bed and sat down. Being that he had never been grounded before he didn't know how to act. Usually he would come in unnoticed as always and slip off to sleep. Now he was wondering if this was all a dream.  
  
"There's only one week left of summer vacation," he gripped aloud, startling himself. 'Finally, I have friends, and he decides to care' he thought sorely. The idea of being locked up in his room, like so many summers before being he had no real reason to go out and play or have fun, caused him to whimper. Deciding it was probably a good time to go to sleep the pale boy rolled over into his bed and went into a dreamless sleep. The next day came with the sounds of beeps and clicks as Gaz walked down the hall playing her Game Slave2. She reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the kitchen only to be greeted by a note on the table. Picking it up she read:  
  
Dear Dib and Gaz,  
  
I've gone to work. Remember to brush your teeth and take out the trash. And Dib stay inside. We'll talk later. Membrane  
  
Usually their dad would have a prerecorded message for them. However, there we're no hovering screens at the moment. Then from the sheet of paper another piece fell. She picked it up and looked it over. There wasn't any writing on it, but oddly enough she folded it and stuck it in her pocket. Considering her father's words she assumed Dib had been caught, but her thoughts were interrupted by the telephone.  
  
"Who would call in the morning," she said walking into the living room where she picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello," she answered.  
  
"Hi Gaz," Red's voice broke in over the other end.  
  
"Figures. I bet you want to talk to Dib, right," Gaz said, with annoyance.  
  
"Yes, please," Red said ignoring Gaz's tone, quite use to it.  
  
"Wait," Gaz said setting down the phone and walking up the stairs. She banged on her brother's bedroom door until she heard an annoyed groan come from inside.  
  
"Wake up. There's someone special on the phone for you," the gothic girl yelled. The game skilled one backed away from the door as the handle wiggled slightly. It opened the door to reveal a very tired shell of her brother.  
  
"Come on," she said as she watched him stumble out of his room. He nearly knocked down everything in the hall and almost would have gone sailing head long down the stairs if it wasn't for the banister.  
  
"Who is it?" he finally asked as they reached the living room.  
  
"It's your girlfriend," Gaz shouted making sure that it was audible. Dib glared at her, which turned out to be more of a goofy stare, due to his sleepy state, causing her to smirk.  
  
"Hello," Dib said into the mouthpiece groggily.  
  
"Hi Dib, I'm sorry to call you so early. How did things work out with your dad?" Red inquired.  
  
"Not too good. Actually I'm grounded," Dib said quietly into the phone.  
  
"Oh . . . maybe I shouldn't then."  
  
"Shouldn't what?" Dib asked with curiosity giving him a new source of energy.  
  
"No. If I do, you'll want to see it and I don't want to get you into more trouble," Red said showing signs that she wished she hadn't said anything.  
  
"See, see what? Tell me, tell me."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Please."  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleeeeeease?" Dib pleaded.  
  
"Now your getting annoying. Oh fine."  
  
"Yay! What is it?"  
  
"Well when you left, me and Chris heard something. At first we thought it might have been an animal or something, but then we saw it run by the fence."  
  
"Keep going."  
  
"It was weird. It looked like a person, but in a strange way, it wasn't. We didn't get a good view, however it did drop a book of some kind."  
  
"Wow! I'll be right over...oh yeah," Dib sank down as he realized that he couldn't go investigate.  
  
"I told you," Red stated.  
  
"Why don't you talk to dad when he comes home?" Gaz suggested startling the boy.  
  
"I guess I could. I mean what else am I going to do," Dib decided.  
  
"Hope it works out with you, I guess I'll see you later," Red said almost in disappoint.  
  
"Yeah see ya." With that both callers hung up. Dib turned to look at his sister who was now sitting on the couch playing her GS2.  
  
"That'll be five dollars," she said not looking up from the screen.  
  
"For what."  
  
"For not telling dad that you used the telephone," she taunted, " and for the sodas."  
  
"I'm going back to bed," the half asleep boy stated, heading back to the stairs. Late that evening the Professor returned home to the sound of the television bellowing and the smell of reheated pizza from the night before. He guided his sight down to the couch where he saw Gaz lying with her head down on the arm rest asleep. He smiled to himself and walked over to the television, shutting it off. Then he grabbed a blanket from the hall closest and covered his daughter up. Suddenly a small cough came from up stairs causing Membrane to look up. The cough came again, this time even more muffled then the first. He headed up the steps quietly listening as the coughing grew louder. The closer he approached the top the more the noise became a clash between choking, coughs, quivering breaths, and sniffs, the unmistakable sound of crying. He reached the upstairs hall and neared his son's bedroom. He could now hear some mumbling as if the child was talking to himself. The scientist also knew now that the crying belonged to Dib. Not quite sure what to do, Membrane stood outside the door and listened to the boy's sorrow filled ranting.  
  
"I don't understand . . . it's not like I was doing drugs or something. I...I've been going outside for years, never cared then. Why now? Why me? *sniff* I Hate Everything!...nothing goes right, Nothing. Oh well who cares anyway, its just Dib, no one important..." the boy finished softly. Membrane was shocked by his son's short monologue. Then he heard a click as the light under Dib's door went out.  
  
"I better check the locks," he could hear the pale boy say as footsteps approached the door. Membrane backed away not really wanting to confront Dib at this moment. To his relief the young paranormal investigator didn't see him in the darkness of the house. The father watched his son walk down the hallway before slowly following.  
  
"It's nine thirty and he's still not home," Dib muttered as he walked down the steps. He didn't notice his dad's presence from the top of the stairs, but instead continued into the living room were he saw Gaz resting on the couch. Debating over the fact of whether or not to wake his sleeping sibling, he checked to find the front door unlocked. After a turn of the lock Dib went to Gaz's side and tapped her lightly.  
  
"What," she growled, rolling over to face the couch's backrest.  
  
"Maybe you should go to bed," he suggested. Gaz rolled back to face her brother and opened one eye in as annoyed fashion.  
  
"Fine . . . where'd this blanket come from?"  
  
"What, this?" Dib said, pulling the sheet off.  
  
"Yeah that, did you. . ."  
  
"No."  
  
"Well then you turned off the TV, right," Gaz said sitting up and yawning.  
  
"No, I didn't do that either," Dib said sensing that they were not alone, "Did you go outside earlier?"  
  
"Nah ah, I locked the door remember."  
  
"Yes, but it was unlocked." Both siblings pondered the situation drawing their own different conclusions until a noise startled them. They froze for a few moments, before turning to the staircase where a tall figure began to descend.  
  
"What the...!" Gaz shouted, grabbing the closest object to her as a weapon; which happened to be the pizza plate.  
  
"A ghost? Wow! Wait a minute. It could just be some guy in our house. Ahhhh!" Dib exclaimed. Their sudden outburst had surprised the Professor, causing him to start yelling as well.  
  
"It's just me!" He exclaimed trying to acquire the two screaming children's attention. Recognizing their father's voice Dib and Gaz calmed down and quieted their voices.  
  
"When did you get home?" Dib asked as he watched his dad switch on a light. Membrane gave his son an awkward look causing Dib to became a little nervous, being that he wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such an odd glance.  
  
"Dib, I think you and I need to talk," the scientist directed to the boy before turning to Gaz, "It's about time that you get ready for bed, so go ahead, upstairs." Gaz shrugged and headed up the stairs only looking back once to see her father and brother sit on opposite sides of the couch. Both father and son sat in silence for a while until the Professor shattered it.  
  
"Why? Why did you go out last night?" he asked turning his full attention on the boy. 'Great, the one time I don't want his attentiveness and he's all ears' Dib thought as his eyes moved to the floor. He didn't really want to answer, and lying was out of the question at this point.  
  
"I went out," the paranormal-obsessed boy simply put, trying to avoid why.  
  
"Went where?"  
  
"To Chris' house, well his tree house."  
  
"I'm guessing you weren't alone then."  
  
"No."  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"Just stuff," Dib answered knowing full well that it was a stupid response.  
  
"Stuff, mmm. What kind of stuff?" Dib grew silent for a while in thought. He just wanted to go out and be with his friends, his only friends he might add, not to mention do what he loved.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I was just looking at stars and reading with my friends, my only friends. I didn't tell you about it because I thought you wouldn't have let me go," Dib raved as he now stood up, "No, you wouldn't have let me go because I was out looking for my para-science. That's all, that's all that happened. I just wanted to go out with my friends." Dib claimed turning away.  
  
"Who said I wouldn't have let you go," the Professor stated calmly. Dib froze in his stormy mood and partially revolved in his father's direction. Membrane caught the expression on his son's face; which was a clash between anger, shock, and intrigue.  
  
"I might have been too hard on you about this, I did not make my ideas very clear," Membrane said causing Dib to turn completely around.  
  
"You're still grounded, but not because your into that paranormal material, but because you didn't tell me where you went and to be out at twelve at night is just indecent for a boy your age." Dib seemed to accept this as a half way satisfactory reason, but he was still upset.  
  
"I guess I'll go to bed then," Dib said, faking a yawn and walking over to the staircase. Dib momentarily thought how strange it was to have a sit down conversation with his dad. In fact, as far as he could remember, this was the only sit down talk they'd had in a while. He almost wished he could do it again, but over a different topic. The pale boy was tempted to turn around and sit back down but for some reason he couldn't.  
  
"Night dad."  
  
"Good night, son." As Dib made his way to bed another being laid awake in his. It was Zim, who had tried to fall to sleep thirty minutes ago but failed in his attempt. He has been living in peace on the Earth for a few months now, but the poor little alien hasn't felt too good about his situation. It was very difficult for him to abandon his past of being an Irken Invader, a solider of one of the most powerful empires there ever was. Of coarse he did not regret his decision to join the earthinoid's battle against the irken threat, but then it was because the Tallest had betrayed him, his whole planet betrayed him. This fact still haunted his dreams and plagued his mind day in and day out. Sometimes he could just shake it off but other times it would drive him nuts.  
  
"Oh what's the use, I might as well get up," Zim said aloud getting up from his resting position in his lab. He walked over to the elevator that was built to attach to the garbage can up in the house. He shot up the shoot and popped out of the trash bin to the sound of silence. Zim briefly wondered where his sir unit was but shrugged.  
  
"Meow. Meow." Startled by the sudden noise Zim quickly reacted by getting into a defensive stance.  
  
"Who's there," he ordered, eyes darting around the room. He was relieved when Max emerged from the shadows.  
  
"Its just you, what are you doing ya little furball," Zim questioned narrowing his red eyes at the tiny cat.  
  
"I was giving him something to eat," a voice from the kitchen door stated. Zim turned to see Juelia standing there.  
  
"I really wish you wouldn't encourage that animal to come into the house."  
  
"Oh please, he's harmless," Juelia insisted as she turned on the lights. Zim looked down at Red's cat and thought about how it could just get inside all the time without being noticed.  
  
"Well what are you doing, I thought you went to sleep," Juelia asked walking up to him.  
  
"I was, but I guess I'm just not tired."  
  
"Well, Max it's probably time for you to go to your home," Juelia stated, motioning for the cat to follow. The sandy colored feline began to until he froze and perked his ears.  
  
"What's wrong," Zim asked noticing Max's alertness. The little irken decided to sharpen his senses as well. To the three's surprise a loud crash was heard from the other room. Juelia turned quickly and headed toward the door. Zim, too, rapidly made his way to the kitchen entrance surprised by what they found, being quite use to this. Gir had knocked over a side table sending a lamp to the floor.  
  
"Gir, what are you doing," Zim barked.  
  
"The lady, the lady pancakes she's in the window," Gir squealed happily. Zim shook his head while Juelia snickered.  
  
"There's no lady in the window," Zim said pointing to the empty glass pane.  
  
"What lady?" Gir asked genuinely confused.  
  
"The lady in the window," Zim repeated with frustration.  
  
"There's a lady in the window," Gir said with excitement. Zim slapped a hand over his forehead as Gir walked over to them.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder Gir, sometimes I wonder."  
  
"It's okay Zim. Remember he's advance," Juelia said making sure her voice was implying a joke. Zim smiled a bit and walked past the group to clean up the small mess. As Zim did this Max trotted into the living room and disappeared down the hall to the guest room.  
  
"Bye-Bye kitty," Gir chirped as he jumped up and down.  
  
"So, are you going to skool on Monday," Juelia asked making herself comfortable on the sofa.  
  
"What other choice do I have, I have to still blend in. Are you sure you'll be okay in the base while I'm gone?"  
  
"Yes, don't worry, if you left Gir by himself here, I'm sure I'll be all right." Zim nodded to her comment and stood with the shattered pieces of the lamp in his gloved hands.  
  
"Computer, repair for Zim!" He shouted. With a blink on an eye a robotic arm came down and fixed the broken lamp, good as new. Zim then placed the lighting fixture back in its rightful place on the side table.  
  
"Welp, maybe I should try to get some sleep again," Zim yawned. Juelia yawned as well, which was actually odd for both of them for irkens didn't normally yawn when tired, but of coarse it was one of the habits they've seen from the humans and unknowingly picked up. Juelia decided to join Zim in going to bed. She had a separate area in the base underground now but used Zim's entrance trough the couch to reach it. With that both irkens dropped out of sight to go to rest for another day.  
  
  
  
*~ Hope you enjoy this second chapter. The next chapter is propably going to more interesting, and funny not to mention embarrassing for Dib. 


	3. Chapter Three

Arco III  
  
Rain fell softly upon the blacktop of the skool's playground and children from all ages flowed inside the ageing building preparing for the first day of academic activities. Of all the groups, crowds, and cliques, one collection of beings stood out as very odd to the swarm of students gathered there. Two of them with long black coats, one gothic girl holding a hand-held game, another with a bright orange shirt and loud blond hair, the other with a green complexion.  
  
"Hopefully you don't get Miss Bitters," Dib said, directing his comment to Gaz, who didn't care either way. Zim shuttered a little remembering the horrible, lecturing old bat.  
  
"Isn't she the one that sent three kids to their horrible, screaming doom on that field trip to that Chrysler plant," Red asked, turning to Dib and Zim. Both nodded solemnly.  
  
"The one and only," Dib stated.  
  
"I don't care right now, I'm on the twenty-first level," Gaz said.  
  
"I just hope I get a good teacher this year," Chris voiced.  
  
"Don't we all," Red expressed dramatically.  
  
"I really don't understand the point. We come here to learn, but learn none, so why come here to begin with," Zim exclaimed.  
  
"That's one for the record books Zim," Chris said as the group made it to the entrance of the skool. They collected their schedules there being that the skool had forgotten to mail them out not to mention orientation.  
  
"Who did you get?" Chris asked after reading over his.  
  
"Mr. Dover," Zim said aloud answering Chris' question.  
  
"Me too," Chris blurted.  
  
"What do you have, eh Gaz?" Dib asked.  
  
"Don't know, don't care," Gaz said walking off in her own direction.  
  
"Who do you have, Dib?" Red asked, standing beside him.  
  
"Um, Mrs. Anderson."  
  
"Yes, I have her too," she cheered happily.  
  
"Ah man, I was hoping we could all be in the same class," Chris moaned as the group began walking.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll see you at lunch and recess," Red pointed out.  
  
"I guess you're right," Chris accepted. The four friends made it to their assigned class just as the bell rang. Zim and Chris choose seats next to one another toward the back of the class.  
  
"You two, nah-ah, we sit towards the front. Move up a few seats," a middle- aged man said from his position at the front of the class.  
  
"Who? Me?" Zim asked, noticing that he and Chris were the only students in the back row. The man nodded and pointed to a couple seats side by side, but in the front row. Chris groaned, being that he hated to sit in the front, due to the fact the teacher could watch your every move. Zim on the other hand didn't mind, being quite use to sitting up at the head of the class.  
  
"And what are your names," the man asked as the two boys reached their seats.  
  
"I'm Chris, Chris McDuncal."  
  
"And I am Zim!" the little irken shouted not yet breaking the habit of shouting his name for all to hear.  
  
"Hi Chris, um, hi Zim. I'm Mr. Doyer," the man greeted before talking to a few late coming children. Meanwhile, in the classroom across the hall from them, Dib and Red stood waiting to receive their assigned desk Dib recognized some students from his class before, and they obviously remembered him, for they gave harsh glares and ugly looks in his direction. The other kids he had never seen before or were apart of a different class, which he would see in the lunchroom occasionally.  
  
"Okay guys settle down, I'm Mrs. Anderson," a young woman boldly said, "now in the first seat we have Dib um . . . Dib." Hearing his name, Dib walked over and received his front row seat. He prayed that Red would be seated next to him as students took their desks behind him.  
  
"Next row," Mrs. Anderson. Dib perked up in his seat knowing J's were following in their alphabetic establishing chart. Red too prayed she could sit by Dib and waited for the teacher's action.  
  
"Ned Jacks." Dib and Red's heart sank at this response.  
  
"Mrs. Anderson, Ned's not in this class. He transferred to a different school," one child said.  
  
"Oh, well then, Rosa Jackson." Dib and Red slapped on happy grins as the trenchcoated girl took her seat next to the pale boy. Some kids from Dib's old class looked on with disgust.  
  
"Do you see that," Tae said, directing his comment to Dib and Red.  
  
"Yeah, this is like a punishment. Another year with Dib," Sarah stated bitterly.  
  
"And what dose she think she's doing," Zita asked looking at Red.  
  
"She's probably crazy, too," the letter M said.  
  
"Yeah crazy," the group decided, not realizing that half the class was giving them odd stares. Then a girl suddenly burst into the classroom with a glare. She had on a purple dress with red blended into it along with black boots. Her steely blue eyes almost clashed with her light blonde hair.  
  
"Your late young lady, what's your name," Mrs. Anderson asked.  
  
"My names Avery," the girl said cooly.  
  
"Last name, too please," Mrs. Anderson stated turning toward her.  
  
"Kuthur, K-U-T-H-E-R," she spelt out her odd last name and took a seat behind Red. As the rest of the students were given their desk, Avery scanned the room quickly.  
  
"Hey Dib, here's that book I found," Red said handing a purple book with pink binding to her paranormal-obsessed friend. Dib took the reading material and looked it over with curious eyes.  
  
"You say you found it where the thing was," he asked turning to Red.  
  
"Yeah, in fact I think whatever it was dropped it, at least it appeared to be that way," she answered.  
  
"Mmmm, well it's definitely not from the library or any bookstore around here. I wonder who or what would have dropped it," Dib said aloud.  
  
"Maybe . . . huh?" Red was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. It was Avery.  
  
"Sorry it I startled you. What's that?" she asked pointing to the book. Dib quickly pocketed the book before turning to face the girl.  
  
"Nothing, just a book, that's all," he said calmly. Avery stared at them for a moment before smiling and saying "Oh"  
  
"Students," Mrs. Anderson shouted over the classroom noise, " We begin now." The day went along in a boring manner as teachers led over rules, consequences, paperwork, and polices end on end right up until the bell rang for lunch. Doors in the hall swung open as kids gushed out and raced down to the lunchroom to meet friends, chat, rest the mind, and try to hold down 'skool food'. In the mad dash of children Dib, Red, Zim, and Chris walked somewhat to the back.  
  
"Augh, disgusting, sniveling earth children and they're horrible . . . oh eh . . . nasty . . . ," Zim started before he noticed that the group was giving him odd stares. "I mean wow can't wait for lunch."  
  
"Sometimes I wonder, Zim," Dib said as he opened the door to the cafeteria.  
  
"What, I was only joking," Zim said before adding that indeed skool food was disgusting, to which everyone agreed.  
  
"Where we gonna sit at," Chris said as they stood in line. Red looked back at the tables and saw every one of them was taken up.  
  
"All man," she groaned.  
  
"This is no problem," Zim announced before marching over to a table, humming a menacing version of pop goes the weasel. He quickly jumped on the table and let out a high-pitched Indian war cry, which sent the kids of that table running and screaming away. He gently hopped off the table with cat-like grace and dramatically posed.  
  
"Another win! There, our seating unit," he proclaimed.  
  
"Riiiiight," Red stated taking her tray over to the now empty table. The others followed after they had grabbed their trays. When all four were seated, they were surprised when Gaz just suddenly appeared at the table, with a tray.  
  
"Whoa! How'd you . . . get here," Chris shouted, startled by the young girl's quick appearance. Gaz just shrugged and sipped on her juice while playing her game console.  
  
"Yuch! They serve better food at a garbage can scrounge," Red complained, looking down at her mess of whatever it was. Dib too, looked at his foo for a moment before looking back up to see Zim take out a brown bag.  
  
"What's that?" he asked.  
  
"I brought my lunch today. I remember this horrible places feeble attempt at making meals," Zim answered bringing out a bag of chips and a soda, irken of coarse.  
  
"I wish I would have brought my lunch," Chris groaned. They all didn't notice that half the lunch room was staring at them.  
  
"Isn't that Dib?" one child questioned.  
  
"Yep," another replied.  
  
"But he's sitting with, Zim."  
  
"Yeah, didn't he always complain that he was an alien or something."  
  
"I have an idea, Tae go and ask if their still like, enemies or whatever," Sarah said, pushing him off the bench.  
  
"What?! Why?" Tae asked not really wanting to go over to the odd group.  
  
"Because, it will make good gossip and I don't want to go over there," she said.  
  
"Well I don't either," Tae stated.  
  
"Fine," Sarah growled, standing up and walking over to where Dib and Zim sat.  
  
"Hello guys," Sarah said with as much sweetness as she could muster.  
  
"Watch out spoiled brat at three o' clock," Chris whispered.  
  
"I heard that, Anyway I was just wondering Dib, for the longest time you said Zim was an alien and he was going to take over the world and blah blah blah. Now your sitting with him at lunch like it never happened."  
  
"Yeah so," Dib stated becoming quite annoyed.  
  
"Well so why."  
  
"Because," Dib said, turning away, pretending to do something important, so he didn't have to make eye contact.  
  
"Oh, could it be that the freak was wrong all along and Zim was just a normal kid with a skin condition. Ha, we knew you were crazy, but this doesn't even make sense," Sarah broke out laughing, causing Dib to slump a little in his seat. He wanted to yell at the annoying brat, but he wouldn't have anything to say. Exposing Zim was no longer a priority, if anything keeping his cover was.  
  
"Why don't you zip it," Red bluntly spat.  
  
"Mmm, and who do you think you are. You dress just as freaky as he dose."  
  
"Shut up Sarah!" Dib barked. Zim and Chris glared at the dark purple headed girl who was so rudely insulting their friends.  
  
"Wait, I see. I can't believe I was so blind. You like one another," the sly girl smiled.  
  
"What?" Red and Dib both yelped in a tone that was as if the worst, but best kept secret was revealed. By this time the table had become a center of all eyes.  
  
"Oh this is sweet. Everyone Dib and Red are boyfriend, girlfriend!" Sarah shouted. The room began bubbling with gasp, whispers, and laughing.  
  
"Dib and Re-e-e-d sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then, comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!" Now the entire cafeteria was laughing and singing, pointing and whistling. Dib and Red both felt sick and wished they could just disappear or sink out of sight. Sarah smiled at their embarrassment, taking it as a job well done. Gaz on the other hand growled with contempt. She was on the last level of a game she had been working on for days and now her concentration was broken by some idiot who dared.  
  
The gothic girl put her past time on pause and rose from her seat. Everyone in the room slowly hushed when Gaz calmly but forcefully walked up to Sarah.  
  
"You," she said, slowly narrowing her tightly closed eyes. Sarah backed down a little, fearing what the angry,scary one would do. Gaz pointed to the table forth which Sarah came, still with her intimidating glare held on the scared girl.  
  
"Go, or you will taste my wrath for your game disturbing practice, along with the rest of you," she hissed turning her attention to the now uneasy crowd. Sarah went running back to her table, tripping over her own fear.  
  
"Wow! She sure has a way with people," Chris said, receiving strange stares from the others. Later that day, in the final hour of class, Mrs. Anderson allowed the students to have a free period. Oddly enough Mr. Doyer had made the same plan, allowing his students to talk as he finished up some work.  
  
"This has been one dull day," Chris stated turning to Zim, who had now built a tower of balanced pencils.  
  
"Tell me about it, we still have 179 of your Earth . . . I mean 179 days left," Zim corrected himself, not sure if Chris heard the slip up.  
  
"Yeah, but at least there's holidays and breaks in between," Chris said not catching the mistake.  
  
"Mmm, that's true."  
  
"Hey, what are you doing this afternoon? Cause if you'd like, you can come with me to the baseball game," Chris explained, "My brother's in there, and it's kind of a family event, but I don't think my mom and dad would care if I brought a friend." Zim nearly choked at the mention of the word friend. He only knew this kid for six hours and was being considered a friend by him. True humans made fast friends, proven to him by Keef, but this was interesting. Irkens would be with one another for years and still never be friends. He sighed to himself and thought about how much he needed to learn about Earth costumes.  
  
"Um, sure I guess. I'll have to check with Juel... I mean my mom first," Zim answered.  
  
"Okay, great. Just call and we'll pick ya's up," Chris replied giving Zim a torn piece of paper with his phone number.  
  
"Why didn't you ask your other friends?" Zim asked receiving the slip.  
  
"Oh, Dib and Red already planned to do something after skool, and Rex is out of town this week."  
  
"This Rex is missing the first week of skool?" Zim questioned. Chris just shrugged. Meanwhile Dib and Red weren't having much luck in with their free-time. They had stared out by talking about one of Red's favorite subjects now, weather. Before she'd been terrified by storms of any kind due to the fact, her father died during one. Even though he wasn't a weather genius, Dib knew enough to explain how interesting it can be; especially if its activities are unexplainable. She in turn wanted to learn more about her now favorite topic. However, in the midst of their conversation, they could hear snickering throughout the class. The two turned around to see what was so funny. To their embarrassment, it was them. Avery on the other hand wasn't giggling. She gazed at the two ahead of her and read their recent pink stricken faces. Then she smiled wickedly. As Red and Dib slowly turned back around to slump in their seat, Avery pulled out a black book with silver lettering that read Journal.  
  
"Hey everyone," Avery shouted as she pretended to reach into Dib's backpack, " Its Dib's diary." With those words the whole class including Mrs. Anderson looked up. Dib gazed up in shock. He hadn't brought that today, but sure enough there it was.  
  
"Give that back that's mine, and it's not a diary, it's a journal of all my paranormal studies," Dib yelled back reaching for his dear book. What really frightened him the most was the fact the lock, that held the pages tightly together, was gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
~*Sorry it took me forever to get this chapter up. Hope you enjoy it! 


	4. Chapter Four

Arco IV  
  
"Oh really, paranormal studies huh?" Avery said, keeping the book out of his reach. Dib didn't answer he just tried harder to retrieve his journal. Sure it was a log of all the paranormal happenings he had witnessed, but he had written a few personal notes that were strictly for his eyes only. Now some preteen half-wit he didn't even know was opening the cover and flipping the pages, making sure he couldn't attain it.  
  
"Mmm, well look here . . . it was a wonderful day. I got this new telescope and Red helped me set it up. Then she stayed over to help me test it out . . . " Avery read as Dib sunk. He was dreading the part that she was going to read next, but he couldn't stop her. "The stars were amazing and she was happy. I love to see her enjoy herself for some reason. I know we just met, but it makes me happy too."  
  
"Ooooo," half the class teased while the rest laughed.  
  
"Read more," the letter M laughed.  
  
"All right, how about this. I don't know why I did it but, well . . . I thought it would be the last time I saw her, and she was so nice, and brilliant, not to mention beautiful, so I did . . . ," Avery stopped for dramatic pause, " I kissed her!" Dib fell out of his seat, right on his back. At first it was quiet but then mixed sounds arose, from laughter, to puckering noises, to whoops and hollers.  
  
"I'll give you fifty dollars for that book," someone shouted jokingly.  
  
"He kissed a girl," some still immature others shouted.  
  
"Oh, the whole skool has got to know this," another said. The paranormal investigator's pale complection grew far more pale as he felt that he was going to be the only person in history to die of embarrassment. He closed his eyes and wished it was a dream, a horrible nightmare, but he opened them to find he was still there. He looked up at Red who, too, was receiving a good amount of taunting and turned his head sharply at Avery and glared, hard. He sat up slowly still blaring heavily on the odd girl and snatched at the book quickly. Just as fast Avery moved the book from his grasp, sending him to the floor; which caused another round of laughs. Red, finally recovering from her distress, scowled and quickly seized the journal from Avery.  
  
"Students, two words. SETTLE DOWN!" Mrs. Anderson bellowed quite annoyed by the children's outlandish behavior. " Dib, please return to your seat." However before Dib could do this the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. As kids past Dib and Red, remarks were made up about their supposed love life. Red helped Dib off the floor and handed his book back to him.  
  
"I'm sorry," Dib said, turning away and looking down at the cheap, tiled floor.  
  
"For what. Because their jerks. Last time I checked you weren't raising them," Red implied. Dib smiled faintly and looked back up.  
  
"Come on let's met up with Chris and Zim, maybe they had a better day."  
  
"All right." the pale boy agreed as they walked out of the classroom. Before he could get out of the door he tripped and fell to the ground sending his belongings all over. He turned to face the object that so wrongly offended him, but was quick to find it was a black boot extended out from a grinning Avery.  
  
"Why don't you watch where your going, maniac," she said sarcastically. Dib growled in her direction, but decided to just gather his load and leave. Avery on the other hand didn't appreciate his gesture and kicked some of the boy's papers and pencils out of his way. The boy stood up angrily and looked at his adversary straight in the eyes.  
  
"What was that for? I don't even know you much less done anything to you," he scolded. By this time a small crowd had grouped around Avery, Red, and Dib. The blond girl smiled and pulled an object out of her backpack.  
  
"Haven't done anything to me, huh?" She revealed the object to be a bottle of glue. With one swift motion she poured the contents of the container out on Dib's black hair.  
  
"Hey!" he shouted.  
  
"Why don't you buzz off, what's your problem," Red fumed becoming angry with each misdeed. Students started to come from all ends of the hall as classes were being let out. When some reached the scene of Dib with globes of adhesive in his hair, they broke out in a fit of laughter. Some others felt sorry for the poor guy. Avery just glared at both of them and bent down to pick something up. She held it up for all to see with a wide sinister grin. The journal.  
  
"Give it back," Dib yelled, but before he could make an action to grab the book the evil girl took off running down the hall. Dib gave chase, too furious to think about anything but getting that journal back. Red followed just as mad with the little monster. Also, some mean-spirited children tagged along to get in on the action of torturing the school geek and wiredo known as Dib. Avery ran off of skool grounds and into the city streets with Red and Dib close behind.  
  
"I have a plan," Dib huffed as his feet pounded the concrete sidewalk.  
  
"What is it?" Red breathed, her trenchcoat bellowing behind her.  
  
"I'll distract her, sense she's obviously more interested in tormenting me anyway, then you nab the book from behind."  
  
"Sounds good to me." They both watched as Avery made a quick turn down as alley way. Both took the same turn to find a dead end but no Avery. Dib immediately froze feeling his paranormal intuition kick up his senses. He hated the feeling of being watched and now for some reason he could feel it.  
  
"Where'd she go?" Red asked as she too was spoked by the girl's sudden disappearance. She turned around feeling it in her gut that it was the right thing to do. When she did, she was shocked to find Avery standing there. Dib whirled around too just in time to see more kids come into the alley with them.  
  
"Look what we have here, two flies in the spider's web," Avery snarled gleefully. She tossed the journal back to Dib who caught it in his stomach.  
  
"Its lover boy and his sweetheart," a bully from behind Avery said moving up.  
  
"Ready for your date," another with, more muscles necessary for a fifth grader, said as he picked up a garbage can. Dib knew where this was heading and he didn't want to see Red get hurt. He wished she hadn't of followed him to this fate, but there wasn't too much he could do now. However, he had to try. With a firm but gentle grip, he grabbed Red's hand and tried to pass.  
  
"Where do you think your going," one boy said madly, stepping in his way.  
  
"Let me pass," Dib said as he bypassed the boy.  
  
"I don't think so," another said shoving Dib back.  
  
"Then at least let her go," Dib pleaded.  
  
"No."  
  
Dib took a chance and tried to run through a gap for which Red had no problem following. She had contended with bullies before, but most were usually to chicken to fight physically, and too stupid to be cable of witty remarks. However these guys might have been dumb but they meant business.  
  
"Hey their trying to escape, ain't that cute," one said, quickly snatching both of their trench coats causing Dib and Red to fall forward.  
  
"Jerks, let us go," Red shouted as she and Dib were lifted up in the air by the collars of their coats. Avery walked up and dumped some glue in Red's hair. Dib began kicking and punching, but the boy that was holding them was twice his size and twice as strong. With a piece of cloth, taken from the dumpster, the bullies tied 'the couple' together tightly. Avery smiled as they slammed Dib and Red down causing the two to groan in pain. She motioned for the garbage can to be put a top the boy and girl.  
  
"With pleasure," the mean boy said, crashing the can over them with a loud bang.  
  
"Let us out now, hey! Hey!" both shouted from inside the trash container muffled by not only the can itself, but the resounding laughter that echoed around them. The crowd of annoyers left leaving Dib and Red to bake in the hot sun.  
  
Meanwhile, outside of the skool, Gaz tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her 'dumb brother'. She didn't know why she always waited, maybe because he was her big brother and it was the right thing to do or maybe it's because her father made her do it sense she was too little. Whatever the reason, because she stayed Chris and Zim bumped into her.  
  
"Whatcha waiting for," Chris asked noticing the peeved expression and her unwilling delay stance.  
  
"Dib, what's taking him so long," she gripped.  
  
"Didn't he tell you, guess not. They said they were going to the park this afternoon," Chris said surprised that Dib would leave his sister out in the cold, so to speak. He only knew Dib for a couple months but had already picked up that he cared for her a lot, not to mention she would probably kill him for it.  
  
"That retard, wait until he gets home," Gaz said, turning her impatient face into one of disgust.  
  
"Hey well since you're here, you want to go to the baseball game with us?" Chris asked. Gaz seemed to wonder about it for a moment and shrugged. Her dad wouldn't care and her brother didn't matter at the moment.  
  
"Yeah, why not."  
  
"But I still have to tell Juel . . . my mom where I'm going," Zim stated.  
  
"Okay let's just drop where you live and ask," Chris said, heading down the sidewalk before turning back and saying, "Maybe you should led the way since I don't know where were going." They reached the odd green house with an even stranger green dog playing in the yard.  
  
"Master!" it shouted, running to Zim. The alien flinched when the dog spoke hoping that Chris wouldn't notice.  
  
"Wow what a neat trick, come here little guy," Chris said playfully as he pet the small animal on the head. Zim went in and told Juelia where he would be as Chris just stood.  
  
"I can go," Zim proclaimed as he stepped out.  
  
"Great. Let's go. We only have thirty minutes," Chris cheered as he took off. While Zim, Gaz, and Chris ran to the park for the baseball field, Dib and Red yelled for help as loud as they could, but no one ever came to their rescue.  
  
"This stinks and I mean literally," Red said. Dib sighed sadly not wanting to be here, not to mention getting his best friend in the same situation. In addition he hadn't gotten a chance to explain to her his journal entries. Then again what was there to explain. He had tried before to tell her his feelings and it was just too hard. The truth was they had never spoken of the kiss they shared months ago, and he wasn't sure what to make of that. But now he felt horrible and Red could sense this.  
  
"Not quite the park, but at least you're here to keep me company," Red said trying to lighten the mood of dismay. Dib chuckled a little, which made her smile.  
  
"Yeah. It could be worse, right," Dib said, "Like garbage could still be in here."  
  
"It could smell worse."  
  
"Yuck! At least they didn't shove us in a dumster."  
  
"Dumpster, yeah. Of coarse we could roll in garbage and still have more class then them," Red said. They paused in the conversation, until Dib let out a yelp.  
  
"What is it?" Red asked.  
  
"Something's jabbing me in the ribs," Dib grunted.  
  
"Here, what side is it on?" Red asked.  
  
"The right." Red rubbed her back up against the side she thought was right.  
  
"Ow! No, no, the other right I mean the other side," Dib moaned. Red switched sides and brushed up against Dib's other side.  
  
"Almost got it, wait, wait. It stopped, its okay," Dib said.  
  
"Ya know my head is stuck," Red stated .  
  
"Yeah mine too, its form that glue," Dib replied. Both noticed that daylight was becoming slim from underneath their trash can prison.  
  
"I wonder what time it is," Red questioned.  
  
"Time to go home," Dib sighed as he moved his hand across the dirt in the alley.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure someone's looking for us."  
  
~At baseball game  
  
"Yah, go Alvin," Chris shouted from his seat in the stands along with his mother, father and two friends.  
  
"At a boy Alvin, hit her hard," Mr. McDuncal shouted.  
  
"Yeah, hit that thing right out of the park," Mrs. McDuncal yelled. Gaz and Zim thought they were crazy, but it didn't matter because fifty other parents rooted from the stands for their child. Zim was puzzled by theses humans reactions to the game, but sort of felt excited about it at the same time. He began to cheer just because it felt good to shout out. Gaz felt a little cheerless as she watched the other families. Hers was less than perfect and out of touch with itself. You'd never see Professor out spending time with his kids. Sure Dib tried to let her in on what he did, but let's face it, half the stuff her brother did was a little out there, and she'd much rather play video games which Dib hadn't done for a long time. She sat in silence until the game ended with a tie. Mr. Duncal offered to drive them home since it was now getting late.  
  
The sun had set and the streetlights gleamed. Zim and Gaz were driven home with the only conversation being the highlights of the game. When Gaz returned home, she wasn't surprised that Dad wasn't home yet, but when Dib wasn't there it was troublesome. Usually he would come home around eight, if he did go out, then he would leave again at nine to do his paranormal garbage.  
  
Then she remembered that he was out with Red, which cold take hours all in itself. Suddenly the telephone rang and she picked it up.  
  
"Hello," she responded into the receiver.  
  
"Hello there, this is Ms. Jackson, is Rosa over there, I've been callin' since six," Ms. Jackson said.  
  
"No, she's not, do you know where she is," Gaz asked knowing Red wasn't one to let her mom worry.  
  
"No, she hasn't been home, and I can't find her anywhere," Ms. Jackson said.  
  
"Chris said Dib and her went to the park but we were just there and didn't see either of them," Gaz stated realizing this for her first time.  
  
"Oh dear, well thanks anyway, is your father home?" Ms. Jackson asked.  
  
"No, but I'm going to go look for Dib."  
  
"By yourself hon. No. I'll be right over."  
  
"Hey bring Max with you," Gaz suggested.  
  
"Will do." They hung up without saying good-bye.  
  
  
  
~*Sorry that these chapters are slow to getting up here but school work combined with laziness is never a good mix, but that's what I have. Thank you for your paitence. Enjoy! 


	5. Chapter Five

Arco V  
  
Gaz stepped out of the house with one of Dib's spying tools. She waited for Ms. Jackson, which wasn't very long for her family didn't live far away. Finally a figure came walking up the sidewalk, holding a very small cat like creature. Sure enough it was Ms. Jackson and Max, the sandy- colored cat.  
  
"Hi Ms. Jackson, hi Mas. Lets hope they're just having fun and lost track of time," Gaz sais as she too brought out a flashlight.  
  
"Oh dear, she usually doesn't do this. I pray that she's all right, "Ms. Jordan Jackson said placing Max down on the concrete next to her. Gaz gazed upon the streets and shook her head. Knowing her brother, they could be anywhere and for a moment she wanted to just turn and go back inside saying hopes lost, but now with Jordan here it wasn't that easy.  
  
"Max, find Dib and Red," Gaz said almost as if the cat was a search dog. The feline cocked it's head to one side and looked at the girl like she was crazy. Gaz sighed and pulled the binoculars into the cat's view and pointed down the road. This seemed to spark the animal's interest as Max perked and stood from his sitting position.  
  
"Find Dib, go," Gaz said again lowering the binoculars by their strap down to the cat. Max inspected them, then took off down the street after the owner of the spying tool.  
  
"There he goes, I guess we follow right," Jordan said not ever knowing her house pet was capable of tracking. Gaz nodded and took off after the feline. It didn't take the gothic girl too long to figure out that they were heading for the skool.  
  
What was her brother doing way over here for? Never in his paranormal career had he'd come to the skool, expect once where he was caught. The only other times he was at skool late was for detention, but a punishment till 8:30, that didn't make sense. Gaz rolled a few more thoughts in her mind until she reached a conclusion, bully trouble.  
  
There had been more that a few occasions that she would find him hung up the flag pole, head first in a trash can, or sometimes shoved in a locker or closet. Even though must the time these were harmless, painless pranks there was one time that she could vividly remember.  
  
Dib hadn't walked home with her nor did he come hours later. She thought nothing of it being that he had been doing it quite often chasing after Zim. But for the last couple of days her brother was behaving more abnormal than usual. He had been coming home with bruises, cuts and scraps, black-eyes, and other visible sighs of injury. Instead of ranting on about his battle scars from protecting Earth and fighting an alien invasion, he would quickly but quietly go straight for his room. Now that her sibling wasn't coming home period, she decided that she probably had to save him from himself.  
  
Walking outside she noticed it was getting dark and decided to bring a flashlight. "He better hope I don't find him," she had grumbled in her loathing. She walked for quite a ways before reaching skool grounds. What she found there was such a sad, pitiful scene that it made one ashamed to call themselves human. She could see her brother scrambling in a terror- stricken panic on the ground. She could also make out he wasn't alone. There were about eight other kids surrounding him doing an array of different harassments on the pale boy. Some kicked dirt into his face and eyes that were no longer protected by glasses. In fact, his eye ware was broken and thrown to the side along with Dib's spirt. Every time he pleaded for help or begged for them to stop, the children laughed cruelly, and pushed him down to the point where every joint in his body, she could tell, must have hurt. The expression on his face read exhaustion, desperation, and pain.  
  
He didn't even have the power to stand. He just laid there, taking a beating. Gaz had never in her life been so furious. She knew she had to do something for the savage kids were growing even more forceful though their victim was already down. She remembered that there was a coach's whistle hanging on the recess fence and quickly retrieved it. She blew the ear piercing instrument and shined the light on the crowd of children.  
  
"What's going on out here? This is the police, who's there," she yelled in her best impersonation of as officer. Luckily the children bought it, for even though Gaz was tough eight against one was pushing it.  
  
"Wimp."  
  
"Wuss!"  
  
"Freak."  
  
"Ha, baby."  
  
"Geek!"  
  
"Try it again and your toast."  
  
"Stupid."  
  
"Crazy," was the last insult given as all eight mean-spirted children passed. When it was clear Gaz walked up to her brother, who had his back to her. When she grew closer, she could see his shoulders shaking slightly, he was crying. Her first reaction was to yell at him for being such an idiot for not telling anyone about this, but her thoughts changed when she realized who would he tell it to. Dad wouldn't have cared, teachers are a joke sometimes, and everyone he ever came in contact with thought he was crazy.  
  
She helped him up which startled him at first, but being too weak to resist anyway, relaxed in her grip. Leading him home due to the fact he was practically blind without his glasses, she noticed the look of shame and worthlessness in his eyes. He almost seemed sorry that she had to come out and look for him. But once they got home Gaz bandaged him up, even though he insisted she not. With that she sent him to bed, or more or less helped him into bed. Both of them never spoke of the incident again. Gaz came out of her reminiscence and stooped outside of an alley way just as Max had done.  
  
"Ninety-eight bottles back up on the wall . . . Ninety-eight bottles back up . . . uh you take one from there and place up here Ninety-nine bottles back up on the wall," Gaz could hear a tried muffled voice sing. The song was followed by soft, deep breathing which soon became two sounds of breathing.  
  
"Meow," Max cried as he walked down the alley to a turned over garbage can that rested up against one that was upside down. Gaz shined her flashlight on the trash bins but didn't see why Max led her here, even though the noise did seem to come from the alley. Suddenly the little cat disappeared around the second garbage can. They what happened next almost scared her, the can started screaming and moving slightly.  
  
"Ahh, what is that, what is it!" a voice that was unmistakably Dib began shouting.  
  
"What, What?! Where!" Red screamed as well.  
  
"I don't know . . . wait . . . Max?" Dib said with shock and excitement.  
  
"Max? Max! Go get help boy. Go get mom or Gaz. Hurry," Red requested feeling better that at least something knew they were here.  
  
"Too late, I beat you to it," Gaz said coming closer to them, now seeing feet sticking out from under the can.  
  
"Gaz?! Oh thank you, thank yooou," Dib said happily.  
  
"Stop it. Your making me sick," Gaz said as she walked over and tried removing the garbage can.  
  
"It's stuck . . . ow . . . there's glue in here," Red exclaimed. Gaz quit pulling and sighed.  
  
"Ms. Jackson there over here," Gaz yelled. Like nothing, Jordan came running, she only stopped when she noticed her daughter was in a trash bin.  
  
"What happened?" she asked with mixed emotions.  
  
"We have to take them home like this, they're stuck. Help me stand them up," Gaz directed. Both of them helped lift Dib and Red to their feet, causing Max to fall out of there. The trip home was very cumbersome as Dib and Red kept knocking heads and locking legs causing them to fall with thunderous bangs.  
  
"Oh this is so humiliating," Dib wailed as they tipped over for the fifth time.  
  
"You're embarrassed. We have to walk with a four legged trash can that keeps yelling and screaming," Gaz groaned. Sometimes she wished her brother was different, all he had to do was quit trying to be a hero, saving the world from all that is paranormal. Dib on the other hand wished he was respected for whom he was. He never hurt anyone, at least never on purpose. He loved to search out the paranormal, it was his hobby and pastime, just like others who played sports or read books.  
  
"What exactly happened," Jordan asked. Both started talking not knowing whom Jordan was addressing.  
  
"Whoa, one at a time." Both quieted down a little as Gaz shook her head.  
  
"Avery, It's all her fault, I didn't really know the others," Red stated, anger creeping into her voice.  
  
"I know them, too well," Dib said with no clear emotion.  
  
"They did this to us for no reason at all mom, we didn't even talk to them let alone bother anyone," Red stated with frustration. As they reached a cross walk Max hissed and arched his back. He seemed to be angry with the trees or clouds above, however when Gaz and Jordan looked up nothing could be seen. Even though it was odd, Gaz didn't give up on the fact that something could be there. Just as this thought past through her head another jumbled her mind so quickly it was startling, where am I? She looked around and saw Jordan standing next to her with the same confessed expression.  
  
"What am I doing out here so late," Jordan asked scratching her head. Gaz looked around and shrugged.  
  
"Maybe we went for a walk," she said not quite believing that, but not being able to explain it either way.  
  
"Must be, well let's get home then. Wouldn't want to scare the kids," Jordan said. They both walked home leaving a very scared Max behind. The little cat cried out and turned around to see that the trash can was gone along with Dib and Red. Max began to follow the others hesitantly, looking back every once in a while where his owner use to be. When Jordan reached her home, she found it quiet and calm.  
  
"They must already be in bed," she stated, walking to her own bedroom. Gaz reached her house in a slightly different shape. Every light was on and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through it. Before she could even open the door, it swung open to reveal a very upset Professor covered from head to toe with black soot.  
  
"What happened to you?" she asked flatly.  
  
"What happened to me, I should be asking what happened to you. It's exactly eleven o' clock," he said pulling Gaz inside.  
  
"Eleven?! Really, I don't remember leaving that late, I think I might have went for a walk or something with Ms. Jackson." Membrane seemed to accept this answer for he didn't press the subject any further.  
  
"I think you should go to bed then, tell your brother to do the same. He's locked in his room, I think," Membrane stated no quiet remembering if he saw his son today or not. Gaz nodded as she walked upstairs not recalling if her brother even came home that night. She yelled at his closed door it was time for bed and then headed for her own room.  
  
Meanwhile, in a very tight and small area Dib and Red sat back to back no longer covered with the garbage bin or glue. Dib woke up first from their unconscious state and looked around. He felt Red sleeping on his back and rope around his arms and waist.  
  
"Where am I," Dib asked no one in particular.  
  
"Finally one of them's awake, take em' to the boss," a harsh voice said from seemingly no where.  
  
"What about the other one," another, smoother voice stated. Dib panicked a little, not knowing where he was or who that was talking.  
  
"Red, wake up. Red!" Dib said loudly as he rocked back and forth. Red grunted and awoke from her sleeping stage.  
  
"What? Where are we?" she asked looking around the small, pink room. Suddenly a side panel opened to reveal to creatures Dib and Red knew well, Irkens. Dib immediately began to struggle to get away which was unlikely due to his tied up position.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Red shouted with contempt as they came into take their prisoners out. She'd been captured by the race before and didn't enjoy it at all. The Irkens however were not deterred by the humans actions and grabbed each by their coats while one Irken cut the rope.  
  
"What do you want," Dib spat obviously not remembering who was the prisoner and who was holding the guns.  
  
"You will do good by keeping your mouth shut," one said hitting Dib square in the back with the butt of one weapon. Red winced when Dib fell to the ground, and bent down to help him back up.  
  
"Keep it moving." Red got Dib to his feet before they were shoved along into a large room with so many instruments and technology that it looked like a palace ball room with lights and decorations.  
  
"The humans are awake," one irken guard said aloud from his spot by the door. A blue and purple chair that sat at the head of the enclosure turned slowly around to reveal a human being, but not just anyone.  
  
"AVERY!?!" Both Dib and Red yelled in shock, as sure enough the steely eyed girl glared back from her seat upon the blue chair.  
  
"Guess again," Avery said as her ingenious disguise faded out to reveal an irken female with blue eyes and curled but bent antennas. Dib's amber eyes narrowed into a glare of anger, annoyance, and loathe.  
  
"Qui," he growled.  
  
~*Here is another chapter and I hope it answered some questions. As for Arco you'll have to wait till the next chapter. Again I appreciate your patience. Have a great day and enjoy. :-) 


	6. Chapter Six

Arco VI  
  
"I'm so glad you remember who I am, because I sure remember you," Qui said calmly hopping off her seat to approach the two humans. Dib tried to move forward to face his foe, but was quickly stopped by the barrel of a laser gun held by a guard. Qui seemed to lock eyes on Dib like a hawk hunts a rabbit. She looked him up and down then straight in the eyes. The pale boy attempted not to flinch, but it was hard, for it felt like her eyes were burning through his. However, he did manage to scowl, which caused the irken to smile, making Dib uneasy.  
  
She swiftly pulled out a knife and just as quickly held it up under the boy's chin. Red looked on with horror as Dib couldn't help but squint his eyes. Qui pressed the cold blade to Dib's chest causing Dib to freeze in fear. With one rapid movement she slashed at Dib from the middle of his chest to his stomach. He yelped while Red let out a short scream. Yet, they both stopped when they noticed that Qui hadn't even touched him at all. Qui laughed along with the other irkens, who were standing about the room.  
  
The knife welding alien then thrust the edge at the boy, who hastily moved to one side. She then jutted the knife back out at him to which he ducked. She laughed again, but this time it sounded as if she had found the greatest treasure there ever was.  
  
"I think we have the right one," Qui said, putting the knife away and staring at the human.  
  
"What do you mean? What do you want with us?" Red said, looking into Qui's blue, cold eyes.  
  
"Us, no my friend, just him. However you do look smarter than for your own good," Qui grinned, turning to the girl.  
  
"Well, then what do you want with me," Dib asked trying to divert attention away from his friend. To his relief, it worked. He had a feeling that most irkens had the tendency to reveal their plans.  
  
"I'll give you the short version, human, or should I say Arco," the irken started.  
  
"What's an Arco?" Dib asked.  
  
"You are, I hope. But its not a thing it's a person, means bringer-of-doom in a language you wouldn't understand. Now keep quiet! Long ago the Irken Empire was the greatest military force in the universe, and still is mind you. The only thing that could get the best of an irken was in fact another irken. However the planet Inteligente Invasion, known as double I, was our only rival. They could not fight us face to face, those cowards, but technology was on their side. Every time we went out seeking them, they'd relocate their entire planet." She paused for a while making sure the humans were understanding every word.  
  
"But one day the intels kidnaped, or abducted as you refer to it, a small child from a different planet that we had never heard of. The Tallest could never get the name to."  
  
"So what dose this have to do with me?" Dib said a little louder then he wanted to. He remembered being abducted when he was a baby, but he couldn't remember what exactly happened, he could barely remember the incident at all.  
  
"Well if I find the threat that the intels created, I'll be the most respected, distinguished irken in all the planet, but first I must be one hundred percent sure," Qui replied signaling for the guards to grab both of them.  
  
"First I'll experiment, run some tests, and then if you are, turn you and your planet over as the single threat to Irk's mission."  
  
"Well, let her go, she didn't do anything," Dib pleaded referring to Red. Qui beamed and shook her head 'no' and waved them off. As Red and Dib were dragged kicking and screaming, three figures made their way to the Membrane household. One was in the lead and quite short, another who was taller by far more followed after the first. The last was very tiny and noisy with its turquoise eyes shining brilliantly. It was Zim, Juelia, and Gir that crept up to the home and looked up where Gaz's window was.  
  
"Gir bring me to the top of that window," Zim commanded to which Gir obeyed even though he woke half the neighborhood doing so. Once at the pane of glass, Zim tapped on it, hoping to get the one inside's attention. Gaz roused non to happy with the disturbance and opened the window.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she growled.  
  
"Your brother's in trouble, we must leave now," Zim stated trying to remain balanced on Gir who for some reason found an ant interesting.  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about, he's in his room," Gaz replied, giving the green one an odd look.  
  
"Check for yourself, he probably is not even on Earth right now, neither is Red," Zim said with annoyance. Gaz decided to take Zim up on his offer to check on her sibling. She reached her brother's door with a feeling of dread. For some reason she felt that Zim was right, but another part of her kept saying to forget about it. She rested her hand on Dib's bedroom door and stood for a moment fighting whether she should open it or turn back. Finally the purple-haired girl opened the door and saw that the irken was right, no one was in the room.  
  
"I told ya, there's signs of another irken around here," Zim said from behind her, causing her to turn around sharply. "In fact there is some signs going around town and in this house," he continued, looking down at what looked like a wrist watch. Gaz observed as the irken moved away down the hall back to her room. She followed, not knowing what to make of the situation yet. When the gothic girl reached the room. Zim was holding up a sheet of paper and turning it over several times. She recognized the paper, for it was the one that fell out of her dad's note.  
  
"What is it?" she asked seeing he was interested in it.  
  
"Its irken, but its much older material, only ten years though," Zim said, opening his pod and taking out what looked like a flashlight with a purple beam. He shined it on the blank piece of paper and irken letters came in on the page in dark green.  
  
"Its like one of those secret code messages," Gaz said.  
  
"Yes, except this is part of a whole book . . .wait Pos Arco. . .it can't be. How did you get this?" Zim asked with shock and surprise. Gaz tried to respond, but Zim cut her short. "Never mind, we must go to my labs and get your brother back, or it will spell doom for your planet." He grabbed Gaz by the arm and leapt out the window upon Gir.  
  
"Hurry Zim, I think some people have heard us," Juelia said as she stood a waiting for them to land.  
  
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Gaz said, irritation leaking from her words.  
  
"That's just it, we're not sure what's going on," the former commander said as the three reached the ground.  
  
"We might now, look at this," Zim replied, showing Juelia the slip of paper. She read over it through the purple beamed flashlight and gasped when her violet eyes rested on the word Arco.  
  
"It can't be," she began.  
  
"Can't be what?" Gaz asked.  
  
"Come on I'll explain on the way back to the base," Zim whispered as front lights of homes began turning on. They moved out through the shadows towards Zim's house.  
  
"Okay, start explaining," the gothic one ordered.  
  
"Well first me and Juelia had picked up a disturbance which we thought was just your planet's weather," Zim started.  
  
"However it turned out to be another unmarked Irken ship," Juelia finished.  
  
"Yes, after skool, Juelia told me their was trances of irken material through out town. I went with you guys to that baseball game to see if I could pick up some signs," Zim continued.  
  
"But he didn't, so I used that to scan the area," Juelia said pointing to Zim's wrist watch.  
  
"And," Gaz prompted feeling a little over-whelmed by the information.  
  
"We found you, and this, but its your brother and Red who have been triggering this thing off so much," Zim said.  
  
"Yes, but now we can't locate them anywhere, we'd been looking for the past eight hours," Juelia said.  
  
"Wait, I remember, they were in a back alley. They we're in a trash can," Gaz blurted as a flood of memories surged forward.  
  
"That explains it, metal rebounds the signal," Zim murmured.  
  
"Yeah, but then, I can't remember what happened up until eleven, but I went out at eight-thirty," Gaz affirmed.  
  
"Well if my guess is right, and I hope it's not, they've found your brother and want to destroy him," Zim said.  
  
"Why, I thought you took care of the irkens," she said, turning to Juelia.  
  
"This is different. Dib might be the one that all of Irk has been looking for, and if that's the case we're all in trouble," Juelia stated. They neared Zim's green structure without incident and quickly went inside.  
  
"The thing that confuses me is the fact that their not following standard procedure," Zim voiced, referring to the new threat.  
  
"Okay, your telling me some irkens have Dib and want to kill him, and this all puts us in danger because. . .," Gaz said, trying to understand fully.  
  
"Look, I'm still trying to take it all in as well," Zim commented.  
  
"Arco, who ever has your brother must think he's the bringer-of-doom. This page goes to a book about it. A planet tried to rival Irk and had taken a creature from a different planet to fight against the Irken Empire, being their cowards. If it is true, and Dib is Arco, then Earth is doomed for harboring him, we're doomed for helping him escape, and he's doomed for being him. Only if the Tallest find out," Juelia informed Gaz.  
  
"Yes, now we must go into space and um. . .I don't know . . . I guess save Dib and blow up their ship," Zim explained striking a dramatic pose.  
  
"Yea we're doomed," Gir shouted joyfully. While Zim, Gaz, and Juelia lowered themselves down into the underground lab, Dib and Red stood in a bedroom sized room. The walls and floor we're entirely made of some kind of metallic material, however the ceiling seemed to be made up of sharp, jagged spikes. Dib had a feeling they weren't there for decoration either. He glanced at Red and noticed her worried expression as she looked up at the ceiling. He was about to say 'don't worry' or something to that accord, but was interrupted by a loud speaker to their left.  
  
"Alright, first test. Your going to love it," it said with malice dripping from each word. Without warning the roof began to lower allowing the ceiling of dagger-like edges to near the floor at an alarming rate.  
  
"What kind of a test is this?!" Dib shouted as Red screamed. The only answer given was sinister laughing.  
  
"Okay, don't panic. There's got to be a way out, right?" Dib uttered.  
  
"Panic . . . I'm past panic. We have to get out of here," Red cried watching as the spikes approached. Dib allowed his eyes to search every inch of the room for any weakness or crack, but found none. It was smooth, unflawed metal. He glanced up to see the menacing ceiling come closer and closer, its sharp corners gleaming in the light. 'Wait. Light? Where is the light coming from?' Dib thought as he noticed light beams were casting downward. He looked harder and saw that sections of the roof didn't sparkle, but instead shone, and appeared to be transparent. He cracked a smile as he went to stand under the now apparent light fixture.  
  
"Red come here, there's the way out," Dib exclaimed, pointing up.  
  
"Are you okay?" Red questioned, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Watch." Dib jumped up to the now dangerously close top. To her surprise he past right through, unharmed.  
  
"It's a hologram," the girl pointed out.  
  
"Yes, all we have to do is stand here, it will pass right over us," Dib explained. They stood and watched as the ceiling past without incident. Dib and Red looked at one another with giant grins of relief, however it didn't last long. A thick yellow gas crept into the area causing the humans to cough and gag. Eventually they both past out and were dragged out by some Irken guards who came in through another slide through door. Qui watched as they were taken in for the second test, to which she smiled.  
  
If the human went through all eight tests and remained alive, while also keeping the other safe as well then he had to be the one. With such a prize she would become great among her people. After telling them for years that the Arco was a human all along, this was the most wonderful moment of her life. What made it even more great was the fact that Zim would play right into her hands. And she couldn't be more correct as Zim, Gaz, and Juelia had located her ship near the moon.  
*~Alright here's chapter six. I do agree that Thunderstorm started out in action and was better in that sense. This is just a conclusion to that story. I thank you all for the reviews, and hope you enjoy. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Arco VII  
  
"Listen, I don't know what we're up against, but its not pretty, I can tell you," Zim said as he led the group to a re-modified vootrunner. He had enlarged the cabin so that Juelia could fit with more ease. Gaz looked the ship over and grinned.  
  
"Now, we won't have to be sitting on top of each other," she said.  
  
"Ya know Zim, this is very odd. Maybe we should research the Arco some more," Juelia advised.  
  
"It's my brother right. Trust me, there's not a lot of research to be done," Gaz replied dryly.  
  
"Besides, there's not enough time," Zim said. Suddenly something tan and fuzzy landed on the top of the vootrunner causing all three to release a short lived scream.  
  
"What is that?!" Zim shouted the loudest closing his eyes in fear.  
  
"Meow."  
  
"Max," Gaz scowled as she motioned for the cat to come to her.  
  
"Stupid fuzzball, I swear one of these days," Zim breathed.  
  
"Well come on then. If we're going to leave, let's leave," Juelia said as she directed the hatch to open.  
  
"Gir, come to Zim," the irken commanded as he climbed into the spacecraft. It wasn't til Gaz got in that Gir came running in.  
  
"Kitty!" he screamed as he saw the little cat in the gothic girl's arms.  
  
"Come on Gir," Juelia said as she helped him into the cockpit. She then hopped in herself and Zim prepared to take off.  
  
"You might want to close the hatch first," Gaz pointed out.  
  
"Yes, of coarse, I was just going to do that," Zim said, trying to cover the fact he just forgotten. The former invader opened the roof of the house and started the launching process. With one quick motion the spaceship shot out into the sky, leaving the house to close off for itself. As the rescue team made their way to Earth's natural satellite, the victims found themselves in another room, this time constructed of wood.  
  
Red looked up and glared when she saw that the ceiling was composed of what looked like glass, and Qui looking in on them. She hated to be watched. The trenchcoated girl looked at her partner who was still unconscious. She sat up and tried to clutch her head, but soon found shackles kept her arm to the floor by a heavy chain. With all her strength she left the chain up as she stood. There was only a foot of space between her head and the glass peak Qui smirked as she walked over to a control panel located to the left of the glass floor.  
  
"Hope humans like baths," she laughed brushing her finger across a blue panel. Red was startled when she was sprayed by some watery substance from behind. Turning quickly the girl noticed tiny spouts of water splashing in. To her horror the tiny spouts grew into gushing rivers. Dib woke up the second cold liquid touched his skin.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked glancing around the room.  
  
"There's water, or something, coming in. We need to get out but theses," Red answered as she held up the chain wrapped around her wrist. Dib looked down at his hand and saw his own bonds.  
  
"This is not good," he panicked, standing up out of the ankle-deep water.  
  
"There must be a way to get this off," Red exclaimed, handling the shackles. Dib glimpsed the room over and noticed the glass ceiling with Qui standing over them. He growled a bit, hating to be watched like an animal, but he had to focus.  
  
"Look for a way out," Dib shouted over the noisy falling substance.  
  
"You don't have to tell me twice," the girl said gladly taking up the task. Dib tried to work his hand out of the chain, but to no avail. He tried pulling the link out of the floor, however could not. Red wasn't having much luck in finding a weak spot or a door, for that matter, anywhere.  
  
"How do they get us in here?" she yelled, becoming agitated not to mention spoked by the now hip deep liquid.  
  
"Maybe the glass is breakable," Dib said looking back up at the ceiling, receiving a smile from Qui. Red and Dib both reached up and felt the cool surface of the glass with their palms. Dib knocked on it and found it had to be thick. There was no way they could break that, and even if they could it would be useless with the chains. The metallic room was only the size of a car and it didn't take long until they were up to their necks in a strange purple solution. Both humans began to panic as air grew less and water grew more. Qui's face also changed into one of disappointment and anxiety. Dib and Red pounded on the glass looking up in terror, eyes darting back and forth, for a way out.  
  
"What are we going to do," Red yelled as she quit hitting the transparent wall. Dib didn't answer immediately, but then whispered into Red's ear. As he whispered, her expression drew from on of panic to a solemn, dreadful one. She, however, lightly nodded, and just bobbed in the still rising liquid as so did Dib. Eventually the substance had reached a point where the ratio between it and he air was a hundred to none. Qui watched as the humans went motionless.  
  
"It can't be, he suppose to be the one," Qui shouted angrily as she stormed over to a control panel on the right and pressed a red button. The solution drained through the floor and both children lowered to the ground with it, face down. Once the area was free from the purple water, Irkens came into the room and unlocked the two from the chains. Qui walked in just as the last guard stood from the pair.  
  
"What do we do now," one said .  
  
"Leave them here, we'll deal with them later," Qui said quite annoyed as the three turned to the spigot. "They could have escaped through there, I just don't understand it, I thought he was the right one." While their backs were turned, Dib opened one eye. He looked at the open door and smiled. He tapped Red on the shoulder and motioned for her to stay quiet while he stood up. She smiled and followed him right out of the door. They took off down the hall leaving the death trap behind. Qui twitched an antenna and turned to find her prisoners gone.  
  
"Maybe I jumped to conclusions to fast," she grinned wickedly.  
  
"Dib this way," Red whispered pulling him behind a corner as guards marched down the hall.  
  
"Thanks," he voiced as they continued their run to freedom.  
  
"Where are we going?" Red asked as they rounded another corner.  
  
"Control room," Dib answered hitting a green button on the wall sending the door up into the divider. Dib was expecting a room filled with irken standard equipment. What he found shocked both him and Red. It looked like a normal library with pictures, posters, and maps of a tiny blue planet they knew as home. However, what caught Dib's attention nearly made him cry. Meanwhile Zim, Gaz, and Juelia had finally reached the irken spacecraft and docked in, undetected. Juelia looked around the place making sure the coast was clear. Zim, after minutes of arguing convinced Gir to stay and watch the vootrunner.  
  
"Come on, we can go down this hall," Juelia directed pointing to the passage that lead out of the docking bay. Zim and Gaz, who was still holding, followed the taller irken out into the hall. None of them noticed the camera watching their every move nor did they see the flashing warning light behind them.  
  
"How are we going to find him?" Gaz asked as the group crept along.  
  
"Alive, I hope," Juelia answered.  
  
"We need to find out who's behind this," Zim said.  
  
"That won't be necessary," a booming voice echoed through the halls, startling them all. It was an intercom that scared the group. Max hissed at the sound and jumped from Gaz's arms, before arching his back. Zim turned along with Juelia, who took out her small laser, and stood on guard.  
  
"Think we would have learned last time to check for a security system," Gaz mumbled.  
  
"No reason to get tense guys," the loud speaker continued as irken guards filled the far end of the hallway.  
  
"Get em," cried one soldier as he charged along with the other fifteen irkens, armed with a small pistols.  
  
"RUN!" Zim shouted as he turned on his heel and high tailed it. Juelia soon followed knowing her tiny gun was no match for sixteen. Gaz, however, spotted a different option as so did Max. She opened a latch on a small flap in the wall to which an opening was revealed. Gaz jumped in quickly along with the small cat so as to avoid being seen by the soldiers. Unfortunately, as Dib had found months ago, it was a garbage shoot. Gaz and Max went screaming and yellowing all the way to the end. Luckily the gothic girl grabbed the edge the slide, before sailing off into the blender of trash. Max wasn't as lucky in that sense as he almost fell to his death, but Gaz snatched the feline by the end of his tail causing the animal to let out a painful, yet grateful howl.  
  
She looked around for a way out of her precarious situation, and found it in the shape of another equal sized opening. Praying it wasn't a laundry shoot, she swung in landing on the other side of the flap to the docking bay.  
  
"What are the odds," she said, taking off for the vootrunner with a now cautious cat behind. The girl knew the other two had to have been captured, and now it was up to her to save everyone.  
  
"This is great, just me a cat and an insane robot. And I still don't know what to do," Gaz groaned, glancing around. She climbed into the vehicle that transported them there. "I can't do this by myself, but who am I suppose to get." She started up the ship with ease, and called for the sandy colored feline to get in. Max flicked his tail and stared up at the girl with eyes that said go on without me, before he bounded off. Gaz shrugged and took the ship out of the docking bay, with Gir starting a round of the doom song.  
*~Sorry again and again that my updates are so slow going. Here it is though, and thanks for the reviews. HAPPY EASTER!! JESUS LIVES!!! An because he lives I can face tomorrow. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Arco VIII  
  
As Gaz and Gir jetted out into space, Zim and Juelia were dragged into what looked like a command center. They were unconscious due to the tranquilizers that were shot into their systems.  
  
"This is perfect," Qui purred as she entered the area. She walked around the now tied up pair and paretically studied Zim. She smiled when she noticed that he was about to wake.  
  
"Eh, what is this. Where am I?" Zim demanded, looking at the other irken soldiers square in the eyes. He failed to see Qui standing to his right.  
  
"Who's responsible for this? Is it you? Or is it you? How about you, chubby?" Zim asked, receiving less than pleased looks from the guards.  
  
"It was I, Zim," Qui responded walking into plain sight.  
  
"And who are you?"  
  
"I am sorry, we have not personally met. I am Qui," she said politely. She waved for the soldiers to untie him. "I like you Zim. Of coarse who would not."  
  
"What are you talking about, I want out of here, now! I want my friends too."  
  
"Such a hurry, aren't you Invader Zim, the soul reason Earth will crumble."  
  
"No, I am not apart of the Empire or Irk for that matter," Zim said hotly.  
  
"Really. So the Tallest gave you the boot as well, huh?" she said sadly.  
  
"Wait, the . . . you mean you're not with . . . well, what are you doing out here then," Zim asked confused.  
  
"Come with me Zim, and I will explain how your future should be," Qui voiced leading Zim, who was very wary of the female irken, to a separate room. Meanwhile Red sat next to and tried to comfort an unconsolable Dib. He ran throughout the whole library, earlier, ripping out books and wiping them open, tearing out pages of pictures, and crying. Everything in the room was remotely related to his family. What disturbed him the most, however, were photos of his mother plastered all over the walls.  
  
"We have to get out of here," Red said feeling dread entering the room. Dib nodded, even though he didn't want to leave. He had grabbed a few pictures, such as those of his mother. As they stood to go three guards marched in.  
  
"Where do you think your going?" one said. The two frowned and gave in without a fight due to Dib's emotional upheaval and Red's exhaustion. They were lead back to a room that didn't seem threatening, but they were still wary of their surroundings.  
  
"Qui has important business to attend to, the testing will continue later, humans," one of the taller guards barked. He closed the door and activated the computerized lock, before standing at the entrance of the hall.  
  
"This is wonderful," Red whispered, spitefully.  
  
"There might be a way out of here," Dib said, pacing the floor of the cell. The girl followed suit, and both searched for a possible escape. None was found after hours of seeking and eventually the long day took its toll. The two sat down and soon drifted off to a not so pleasant sleep. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Gaz tried to formulate the best plan to get everyone back safely. She would need help though, if she wanted the outcome to be as planned.  
  
"Maybe you should ask the yellow-headed human," Gir suggested from his seat on Gaz's bed.  
  
"I don't know, he doesn't seem like the type who can handle this," Gaz said, "But it's that or dad." She looked at what needed to be done again. Zim had said to hit the control room, and she knew that even if the vootrunner was larger her, Dib, Zim, Red, Juelia, Max, Gir, Chris or her father, would be way to much.  
  
"We're not all going to fit, but I can't be in two places at one time, plus Zim never tells anyone what to do in the control room," Gaz fumed. Gir danced over to where the girl stood, near the door, and screamed loudly before turning on his jets and zooming out the open window.  
  
"Gir!"  
  
"What's going on up there, you've been making noise all night?" Gaz heard her father's voice as he neared her door. She opened the closed entrance and looked up to see him looking down at her.  
  
"Look, Dib's been captured by Irkens and now I have to go save him, I suggest we start now," Gaz said quite seriously and evenly.  
  
"Not you too. What's all this nonsense?" As those words left his mouth, Gir slammed the vootrunner through the window and wall of Gaz's room, sending a plum of concrete dust in the air. The Professor stared in horror at the at the spacecraft that was now nestled in the wall, with Gir waving back at him from behind the glass.  
  
"Dose that look like nonsense to you." As Gaz tried to explain, Qui tried to convince Zim to come back with her to Irk and become distinguished. The tricky, female irken figured that Zim would come crawling back to the Empire if given the right circumstances. She had known the invader for quite a long time, and heard of his blunders and mistakes in the past. He reminded her of herself when she started out. That's why she was in this predicament to begin with.  
~ ~ ~ "I can't believe it, my own mission to the most serious threat to the Irken Empire," a younger Qui voiced in her newly assigned vootcruiser. Her fully operational sir unit sat at her side as she neared a bluish planet. Once landed she preformed her standard invaders' proceeders such as blending in with the life forms around her. To her surprise, the inteligentes weren't that different from irkens when it came to wanting universal conquest. Qui soon found herself caught in an event that was proclaimed as the answer to the 'Irken Issue'.  
  
As she seated herself along with other inteligentes in her genius disguise, another being of this planet took the stage. The creature had blue, spheres for eyes like most had, and black skin.  
  
"We have found a place where creatures are still primitive, but yet show potential," he spoke with a smooth voice. A small cart was pushed out with a small, pale being laying face down upon it. Everyone in the building leaned closer to get a better look.  
  
"I, Lisher, have found the perfect weapon," he smiled as the little creature lifted it's head up to reveal it's large amber eyes.  
  
"What are they," one inteligente asked. Qui started to become a little anxious. She didn't know if the Tallest knew about this and if it was a significant threat, but the more she listened the worse it sounded. Learning only so much about the creature, due to the fact others began cheering, she relayed the information back to her leaders. They ordered that she destroy the creature, so as an obedient soldier she snuck into the compound on a mission to destroy. What she found was more than she bargain for.  
  
The irken discovered two of them, one obviously a baby compared to the other one who was a female. Qui looked at them, not seeing the damage that the infant, she saw earlier, could do. She was still shocked by how tall and odd these creatures were, with their eyes and mouths not to mention the bumps in the middle and sides of their heads. Humans, are what they were called and so that's what she referred to it as.  
  
"Human?" she said carefully. The older human looked up with tears in her eyes clutching the little one, bundled in a colorful blanket, closer.  
  
"What do you want? You savage, your not taking him again!" the human growled. Qui was shocked by the combativeness in the woman's voice, but then remembered she was still in disguise.  
  
"No. I'm not who you think I am," Qui said fading back to her irken form.  
  
"Are...are you hear to help us?" This question was soon to haunt her for the rest of her-life. She rescued the woman and her baby from the imprisonment, taking them back to her home base. She never got the name of the purple haired woman, but the little boy's name came up once or twice as Dib. With the help from Qui's irken technology and some stolen inteligente equipment she was able to build a teleporter.  
  
"Thank you," the human woman said as Qui punched in coordinates. Before she sent them off however, she took the liberty of erasing the human's memories of this whole incident to cover her identity just in case. ~ ~ ~  
  
"Then what happened," Zim asked, interested in the story being told to him.  
  
"Then I was discovered by that teleportation, they knew there was an invader. I was chased off and returned home only to be punished for not following orders."  
  
"So, you're the one. The irken who let the big one go," Zim said, as if in awe to be in the presence of such a blunder. Qui looked ashamed. Zim quickly finished up with, "At least I wasn't the only one to screw up big time."  
  
"Yes, but now I have him, and this time I won't let him go," Qui said coldly.  
*~ All right this is Chapter eight, but I'm going to have to start using regular numbers for the title instead of the Roman numbers, for I only know up to ten. Anyway I hope enjoy. 


	9. Chapter Nine

Arco IX  
  
Zim glanced to the side nervously. He didn't know what this crazy irken had brought him here for, but what she had to say was considerable.  
  
"So, this whole time I was battling the Arco," he said softly.  
  
"Yes, that's right," Qui smiled.  
  
"Maybe that's why I wasn't doing so well in my invasion. So all those times I thought I was being beaten by a child. . ."  
  
"Yes. If the Tallest knew that you, Invader Zim, signal handedly kept the Arco at bay, you would be a hero," Qui smiled.  
  
"But the Dib, he helped me. . ."  
  
"No, you helped him save the Earth. How do you know it wasn't some trick, he is said to be clever."  
  
"But, it was Irk that abandoned me first."  
  
"That's because they did not understand Zim, but I do. I want to help you. Together we'll show them, we'll show them all." Zim looked at Qui, feeling the same touch of insanity that he had forgotten over the past months. He remembered the early days of being a ruthless invader ready to destroy an unsuspecting planet. The joy, thrill, and adrenaline that came with it were now begging for him to come back. A sinister grin crept up his face, giving him his old demeanor back.  
  
"So do you want to help, or not?"  
  
Zim nodded, even though the nagging in his head tried to keep him linked to his new loyalty, the Earth. Qui smiled wickedly. Knowing Zim to well was her unaccepted bonus. Now she had gained an ally to her quest. While the two irkens talked, one irken stared at the prison she was confined to.  
  
"This is terrible. I knew we should have waited," Juelia mumbled.  
  
"That's what I said," a voice from the shadows of her cell said.  
  
"Who's in here," she questioned moving to her feet.  
  
"Just me, Lisher," the voice came again as a figure moved out to reveal it's self as an inteligente.  
  
"You're a . . . how did you get here," Juelia asked in shock.  
  
"Easy, this half-brained irken, no offense, takes me from my home and demands to know more about the Arco. I told her to wait," Lisher said quite annoyed.  
  
"To wait on what," Juelia asked trying to gather as much information as she could.  
  
"You're all alike, think the little human boy's some kind of weapon, or leader, or monster, but he's not. He's just something I studied, nothing more. Now this Qui's on some wacko witch hunt."  
  
"What!? You mean Arco. . . I mean Dib's not who we think he is," Juelia stated, shocked that years of learning about a threat that didn't exist, was wasted.  
  
"That's right. I only proclaimed him that for a joke. Had I known that an invader was there I wouldn't have said anything of the sort," Lisher said little guilty.  
  
"So, there's no Arco, how long have you been here?"  
  
"I don't know anymore. I gave up count after two cycles. All I know is that Qui is going to kill that little kid."  
  
"Why did you take him to begin with, now so much is messed up," Juelia shouted.  
  
"I know, I just was going along and happened upon this planet, Earth, so I took two beings for study," Lisher explained.  
  
"Two!"  
  
"Don't worry, nothing was done to the boy's mother either," Lisher said, "Qui is the one who let them go to begin with."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes, all true. She must have, however given my prank as true information. Now she wants the boy back, so she first got me. I had no idea what she was talking about until it was to late. Now she won't listen to me."  
  
"Well, it's to late, Dib's been caught."  
  
"Great." Lisher paused for a while before thinking about how Juelia came into this situation.  
  
"Why are you here, you're an irken?"  
  
"Long story," Juelia breathed.  
  
"Hey, we got time, I'm not going anywhere," Lisher replied walking closer to his new cellmate.  
  
"Yeah, right," she said sadly. While Juelia explained her relation to the situation, Gaz finished explaining the situation to her father.  
  
"So you are telling me he's up there," the professor repeated.  
  
"Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but that's the truth. Jeez, now I'm starting to sound like he does," Gaz scowled. Gir was now resting in the professor's lap, due to the fact, the man wanted to study it closely. Membrane placed the robot down on the bed beside him and stood from it. He walked over to the vootrunner and placed a gloved hand on it, before lowering his head. Gaz stood in silence, waiting for an answer. She didn't know how he would take the story she just unfurled in front of him, especially sense he never believed Dib. However, for some reason he seemed to be trying to accept the truth, and to Gaz's shock he said "I didn't think it was true."  
  
"What? You knew about this," Gaz said walking up next to him.  
  
"No time to explain, lets go get your brother," he said dashing out of the room, and returning before Gaz could even move. With him was a remote, with two large antennas and a large joy stick handle in the middle. The gothic girl was amazed when her father was able to, with the remote, move the vootrunner back out of the wall. Seeing her curiosity, he answered it by telling her the controller used magnetic fields to either attract or repel objects. He lowered the space craft to the ground gently, before motioning for Gaz to follow him. Both walked out of the front door and made their way to the side of the house where the ship sat.  
  
"What are we going to do with it?" Gaz asked.  
  
"To my lab in town," he said quickly as he again moved the vootrunner closer to the garage. Gaz couldn't help but chuckle when the ship hit the garage door, putting a dent in it, which received a less than pleased look from the professor. He didn't care much about the door, but the fact dawn was upon them didn't make the noise all that comfortable.  
  
"Gaz, I need you to go in and get the covers from your bed," he ordered. The girl did so, going back in through the front door. However before she reached the stairs, someone came running in after her through the still open door.  
  
"Gaz something really strange is going on, I mean CRAZY!" the figure shouted in their all to familiar voice.  
  
"Chris!?! What are you doing here?" Gaz asked with a mix of shock and annoyance. Before he could answer, Gir came sailing down the stairs wrapped up in Gaz's bed sheets, and screaming. When the boy caught sight of the robot, he nearly fell over.  
  
"What is that thing?!"  
  
"Me first, why are you here," Gaz asked again lifting the fallen sir unit off the floor.  
  
"Well, I don't know really." Gaz gave him a blank expression.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?"  
  
"It was crazy, alls I know is that your brother's into stuff like this, but I can't remember what happened," he said gasping for air as he kept moving around and trembling.  
  
"Come with me." Was the gothic girls simple command as she ran out of the door holding Gir and her blankets. Chris followed her out to the drive way, where he was shocked, yet again.  
  
"Are you guys, aliens?" he asked, quite scared now.  
  
"No, this is the vootrunner, it's a long story," Gaz answered referring to the spacecraft that was now mounted on the roof of the car. Membrane hadn't even noticed the new comer, as he asked for the covers. The scientist quickly covered the ship. Gaz and Chris got inside, while Gir decided to hang onto the voot.  
  
"Gaz, I need you to tell me everything you can remember," the professor said as he climbed in and started up the vehicle. As they tore out of the driveway and down the street, Red slowly awoke from her sleep.  
  
I am really sorry this time. It's been a month I know sense my last update. Man time flys. I will however try to get chapter ten up next week. We're getting a new computer, again, because this one is, well, bad. So bear with me on my slow updating. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Arco X  
  
She glanced around the room she was in for a moment, obviously lost in sleep amnesia, but  
  
slowly the memories came flooding back. Her eyes rested on Dib who was still sleeping  
  
peacefully on the ground next to her. She almost hated to wake him up to the awful reality, yet  
  
knowing he had to get up sooner or later. Reaching over, she tapped his shoulder lightly, causing  
  
the boy to stir.  
  
"Dib? I know I've said this a hundred times, but we have to find a way out," Red said weakly.   
  
Dib's eyes slowly adjusted on her and he sat up.  
  
"I know," he said horsily before rising to his feet. They remained in a silence, for both were in  
  
deep thought. Red glanced around again and noticed something a rye. There was a small amount  
  
of fog bubbling up from the far left corner.  
  
"Dib, I think you should look at this," the girl announced standing to her feet rather quickly. Dib  
  
whirled around just in time to see the left side of the floor erupt into steam.  
  
"What is that!" He shouted as the mist slowly ate away the floor's tiles. Dib and Red stayed as  
  
far away from the fog as possible, but the jets of acidic vapor grew closer and closer with each  
  
passing minute. The boy was becoming weary and ideas were blurred in his rest deprived mind,  
  
but he had a plan that just had to work.   
  
"Let me see your trench coat."  
  
"Okay." Dib and Red both took off their jackets just as the mist increased it's speed. The pale  
  
one quickly grabbed both coats and knotted them together. He then took his boots off, one at a  
  
time.  
  
"Hurry, your shoes," he demanded, which in turn Red took her tennis shoes off. Dib grabbed the  
  
laces and went to the task of tying the pairs of footwear to the trench coats.  
  
"Alright you see that hook right there," Dib said pointing to a piece of the ceiling that jutted out.   
  
Red nodded.  
  
"When I string it through, grab it and climb fast," Dib instructed as the burning steam was only  
  
feet away from eating them alive. Dib swung back the make shift gafflin hook, and prayed that  
  
his aim was true. He let it fly, but it missed by a few inches. Red, knowing that they only had  
  
seconds left, snatched the coats and shoes and threw with all her might. This time the boats and  
  
tennis sneakers wrapped around. Giving it a goo tug before climbing, Red scrambled up the  
  
coats followed closely by Dib. When they reached the top, both children watched as the acid fog  
  
past, leaving them unharmed.  
  
"Good mourning, sorry did that wake you," a voice echoed through the room.  
  
"I'm tired of these stupid tricks!" Dib shouted with rage.  
  
"Uh-huh, well, I have a surprise test for you today," the voice taunted, now unmistakably known  
  
as Qui's. A gapping hole slide open just below the pair, and with a blink of an eye, the hook  
  
disappeared sending the two down the long, dark drop. When they did eventually reach the  
  
bottom, they were surprised to find it was soft, however not soft enough to prevent minor injury.   
  
Both humans groaned in pain as their eyes tried to adjust to the dark pit. Suddenly objects began  
  
raining down on the two, causing them to shriek in terror.  
  
"What is it," Red shouted scrambling to her feet. Dib braved to bend down and pick one up, to  
  
notice it's familiar shape and feel.  
  
"It's a peach," Dib said. Red took one of the fruits that rested on the ground. Both their stomachs  
  
growled, wanting the prizes that they held in their hands.  
  
"It has to be a trick," the girl spat knowing, to well, the trappings of this place. The pale boy  
  
sniffed the food carefully, even though it was hard to resist the temptation of biting into the fresh,  
  
juicy fruit. He could smell the familiar scent of peach, but also the tainted stench of an acidic  
  
nature.  
  
"You are right," he proclaimed sadly, as he dropped the food. Red did the same action with the  
  
same mood. Both hadn't eaten for hours let alone had something to drink. Then, as if  
  
responding to their last thought a cool, refreshing waterfall poured out from the walls. The  
  
children tensed up, remembering the last time liquid entered their space. However, this time the  
  
liquid drained into the soft cushion under them. Dib almost wanted to charge the sweet drink,  
  
but he knew better, as so did Red. With a heavy sigh they both turned their backs to the whisks  
  
of water. Unknown to them, two figures watched their every move.  
  
"See how he can avoid such danger, I know it's him for sure now," Qui laughed wickedly. Zim  
  
looked down and tried to laugh as well, but for some reason this wasn't as fun as it had once  
  
been. Qui seemed to notice his distress and quickly boosted his confidence in his decision.  
  
"Will it not be great Zim, a second chance to prove you really are a great invader," she said.  
  
"Yes, yes it will be," he stated with older charm entering his voice.  
  
"You will be the most rebounded irken," Qui pushed further.  
  
"Yes I will."  
  
"And your name . . . ?  
  
"I am ZIM!"  
  
"Did you hear something," Chris questioned as he watched the Professor work on the vootrunner.  
  
"No," Gaz answered as she handed her dad a few of his tools. They were now in one of  
  
Membrane's many labs and locations in town. He had ordered that no one bother him at the  
  
moment, and that all appointments be pushed back. Gaz was amazed by the fact, her father had  
  
put science on the back burner. She thought she'd never see the day that he would actually  
  
believe this, an why shouldn't she think that way. For years he had neglected her and her  
  
brother, especially her brother, and now it was very hard to adjust to his sudden turn around in  
  
fatherhood. However, she didn't know the professor side of this story, and what bothered her  
  
particularly were his words 'I didn't think it was true."  
  
"Dad, did you know about this, about the aliens," she said, making sure he understood what she  
  
meant. Chris looked between the father and daughter trying to understand the situation. The  
  
professor almost seemed to ignore her question, not that this surprised her in anyway, however he  
  
did respond after a moment of silence.  
  
"It was before you were born, only a few days after your brother was. He and your mother  
  
disappeared. At first we thought she was kidnaped, then it switched to she kidnaped Dib,  
  
missing persons, and after forty-eight hours they were saying it was hopeless." Gaz listened to  
  
his story in shock. She had never been told this before about her mother or brother, and the last  
  
place she expected to hear it from was her father. "They were gone without a trace, no leads, no  
  
evidence, nothing. Then on the third night I received a call. . .," he paused for a minute, pulling  
  
his attention away from the vootrunner to look at Gaz, " It was your mother, she was on the  
  
corner of fifth and main, holding Dib with no idea how she got there."  
  
"What happened then," Chris asked seemingly drawn into the story.  
  
"Yes, what does this have to do with that," Gaz restated pointing at the spacecraft.  
  
"Well,after getting the details hammered out with the police and a few weeks passed, your  
  
mother started having strange dreams and visions that she swore she could remember happening.   
  
This was also the time period your brother cried most, and wake up shaking and screaming every  
  
day for five consecutive days. She told me they were abducted, but I didn't believe her, at first.   
  
She had been trying to convince me for years up until . . . well anyway your brother was six times  
  
more determined to get me to believe."  
  
"Well, why didn't you," Gaz asked with some annoyance.  
  
"I tried!" He shouted unintentionally. He didn't want to press the subject of the past, being it  
  
hurt so much. A scientist of his stature had no time for that, but it slowly ate away at his being,  
  
day after day, year after year.   
  
"I worked on a space program for a while and found nothing," he restated a little softer.  
  
"This is crazy, how did I get involved in this," Chris stressed.  
  
"Is that why Dib annoys you so much," Gaz said and as a thought knew that's why he annoyed  
  
her.  
  
"No your brother doesn't annoy me," the professor said quickly as he turned his head away to  
  
close the side of the vootrunner. Gaz waited for the answer to her question, but it never came.   
  
Instead he walked out of the lab. Gir, who again was surprisingly quiet, was sitting on top of a  
  
light fixture playing with a moose toy. Chris looked up at the robot and then to the vootrunner.   
  
Thinking about what had just been said, his memory was jarred.  
  
"I remember now, one of those were flying around my house," he practically shouted pointing to  
  
the craft. Gaz turned to him and let out an annoyed sigh.  
  
"Please don't shout, or I'll have to take your head off," she said lowly. This didn't seem to phase  
  
the boy as he just stared back at her with an 'okay' expression.  
  
"I just wanted to say, that I saw it a hour ago, and it was smaller than this one. I though sense  
  
Dib was interested in this stuff he would like to know about it," he restated.  
  
"Well why didn't you say so earlier," Gaz asked.  
  
"I couldn't remember for some reason." Gaz thought about it for a moment before it hit her.   
  
Whoever was behind this had blanked out their memories, maybe to but time to get out of there.   
  
That's why she couldn't understand why she was outside walking with Ms. Jackson, but now it  
  
was coming in clear. She was out trying to find Dib and Red and she did, in a trash can. Before  
  
she could think any further her dad came in holding three helmets and a small bag.  
  
"Lets go."  
  
~*~* Thank you Faith for prompting me along. Here is chapter ten for your reading pleasure.  
  
Chapter 11 will be the longest and last chapter, I hope. Enjoy. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Arco XI  
  
Juelia and Lisher had gone over the situation they were in very well. One thing bothered the tall irken though, where was Zim. He was captured too, but she hadn't seen him for hours now.  
  
"I hope Zim's all right," she said, pacing the room.  
  
"Who?" Lisher asked, becoming seemingly worried by the name.  
  
"Zim."  
  
"This just keeps getting better and better."  
  
"Will you quit saying stuff like that, and help me try and find a way out of here."  
  
"Alright." Both beings walked around the interior of the cell until a noise caught their attention.  
  
"What was that, it sounded horrible?" Lisher said a little unnerved.  
  
"I think I know," Juelia said with a smile.  
  
"Meow." Lisher jumped the second he laid eyes on the animal that slipped in through a crack in the ceiling.  
  
"Max, come here," Juelia said as she walked over to where the tiny cat dropped from. The feline purred as she picked him up. Juelia looked up at the crack and grinned, knowing, now, a way out.  
  
"Come on Lisher, boost me up to that hole up there," she whispered, to make sure that unwanted listeners couldn't hear. The inteligente decided to listen to the order and provided two cupped hands.  
  
"Go for it." The irken set down Max and quickly leapt up onto Lisher hands, then shoulders. Having a good knowledge of irken ships, she knew most had weak metal placed for a ceiling, only recently had stronger been used. Being this was an older ship, she had now problem tearing a wider opening for her and her cell mate. Climbing up into the opening, she turned to pull Lisher out along with Max. Once safe in the ceiling all three travelers made their way, thanks to Max, to the air vents; which provided a more sturdy path. While this went on, Dib and Red sat wide eyed at a full coarse meal being laid out in front of them.  
  
The smell of freshly baked bread, salad dressing, honey glazed ham, baked potatoes, and chocolate chip cookies nearly drove them up the wall. However they knew they could not eat it for it was laced with the smell of poison. So instead they laid down on the soft ground and ignored the delicious food. Suddenly, a door slid open from the side, allowing a blinding light to enter the room. Dib looked up and blinked a few times before he realized who it was.  
  
"Zim!" He shouted in excitement, relief, and joy. Red looked up as well and she too reacted in a similar way toward the little irken. They both got up, as fast as they could in their exhausted state, and ran for the door. When they reached the exit, both noticed that Zim was holding something in his hands.  
  
"What's that?" Red asked. Zim didn't answer.  
  
"What's wrong?" Dib questioned, again no answer followed. The irken raised the object to reveal it as a gun. Dib read Zim's expression like a book. It was the look you'd give a beloved pet, that was suffering, before you ended it's life. Dib was shocked and almost hurt. 'Was Zim trying to help or hinder.' The pale faced boy looked at the irken one more time and knew it was betrayal. Dib's face harden into a scowl, narrowing his eyes. Red could tell that Zim was not there to free them from their prison. She wasn't sure now if it even was Zim.  
  
"I'm . . . sorry," the irken whispered shooting both with dart-loaded gun. Both humans slowly slumped to the floor as the tranquilizer didn't take long to work on their already tired bodies.  
  
"See that wasn't so hard," Qui's sinister voice replied from behind Zim, as guards came in and quickly dragged the human pair out. He turned to face her, which by this time she had moved down the hall. " Come on, now the real fun begins." Zim followed, a little reluctantly, but still trailed her through the hall. What neither of them expected was an alarm to go off warning of intruders. Both Zim and Qui ran to the main control room, where Qui pressed a screen which in turn showed a picture of Gaz sneaking down a hall.  
  
"You didn't tell me she was here, Zim."  
  
"I didn't know."  
  
"Oh and look, she brought some friends too," Qui smiled, gazing at the two new comers in the screen. Then she saw something that would make her life easier, Gir.  
  
"Zim, I see that's your sir down there, I wonder why he's helping the enemy." Zim shrugged nervously, knowing that this couldn't be good. "Why don't you tell him to capture the enemy?!" Qui shouted. Zim decided to just do as she said and pulled the microphone from his pod.  
  
"Gir!" The sir stopped as so did the group of humans. The little robot pulled out his head top projector and displayed Zim.  
  
"Master!"  
  
"Zim!" Gaz exclaimed with concern, "Are you okay?"  
  
Qui prodded Zim to continue his deed and so he did.  
  
"Gir capture the humans and drag them to me."  
  
"What!" Gaz shouted this time in shock.  
  
"Yes master, I obey!" Meanwhile Dib and Red sat back to back in a large arena. They both felt sick, not to mention frustrated.  
  
"I can't believe this, I really can't," Dib said absent mindingly.  
  
"Yes, it's like an ever livin' nightmare, Please get me out of here, Lord," Red prayed. Both rested their heads up against one another's tired and beaten. They were now shoeless, coatless, not to mention they hadn't eaten or even had a chance to use the bathroom for a day.  
  
"Dib, stand up," a voice boomed from a loud speaker. The human boy sighed, and groaned in pain, but he knew if he didn't do what he was told something in the form of punishment would more than likely follow. Standing up, he glared down at the ground.  
  
"Listen up. I want you to run on this." A treadmill slowly rose up from the ground. "If you don't run fast or long enough, your family and friends will die." Dib, on hearing this quickly raised his head to see Chris, Gaz, and his father tied and gagged sitting in a cage on the far side of the arena.  
  
"Don't drag them into this. . .why don't you just kill me and get it over with," Dib yelled in frustration.  
  
"Because it's more fun this way. Besides, Dib, this more than compensates for the pain and humiliation I had to go through, for letting you go the first time."  
  
"What are you talking about?! The invasion? Of coarse I got away, but that wasn't my fault, I had to save Earth!"  
  
"Yes, there's that small matter as well. However this is different little one, in fact you were quite a little one when it happened."  
  
"What do you mean?!" Dib screamed, tired of tests and trails, confusion and pain.  
  
"It really doesn't matter. NOW RUN!"  
  
"Why should I? What is all this?"  
  
"If you don't run, they die, it's simple, Now RUN!" Dib looked back at his family and the machine and placed one of his feet down on the mat. No sooner had he done this the treadmill started up. Now his first reflex was to jump back, but in remembering the bonds he was locked into, he jumped up on the mill and ran at its quick pace.  
  
"This is how it works, human. If the weight upon that thing becomes too low, such as in the event you fall off, one of my guards will signal out and shoot a member of this cage." The intercom erupted into a fit of laughter before shutting off completely. Red quickly ran over from where she was to the machine, just as Dib started to lose momentum.  
  
"I have an idea, I'll run for you," she said.  
  
"Okay . . . will . . . take . . . turns?" Dib gasped.  
  
"Yeah, we weight about the same, that's all that matters," Red explained. After a few moments the girl hopped on while the boy dropped off. After a few minutes of running, Red dropped off and Dib was back on. This continued until both were starting to run out.  
  
"We can't keep this up," Red complained as she ran with all her strength. Dib nodded in agreement, but there wasn't anything he could do. What neither of them knew was that Qui was steaming with anger just a few yards away, watching through a one way mirror.  
  
"I can't believe this," she shouted. Zim stood back a ways as she began stomping around. "He's supposed to do this on his own, not with help. This is going to ruin everything I've suffered for, worked for."  
  
"You have to remember that he is just a human, they're not that capable . . ." Zim began.  
  
"He's the Arco, he is to be capable!" Qui shouted turning her rage on the other.  
  
"Hey! That isn't my fault, so don't yell at the powerful Zim for your misjudgement." Qui's anger seemed to subside, but not enough where she backed down into serenity.  
  
"Fea, get in here!" She yelled, to which a guard responded.  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"Bring Lisher in here, this was his horrible creation, so he should know what's wrong with it." Zim gazed out the window to see that Dib had now replaced Red's place on the treadmill. He could see the exhaustion on the two's face, not to mention the pain and stress they were enduring. Maybe this was a bad idea, but it was too late now to back out of it. Dib, Gaz, Red, nobody would trust him ever again after this. Just as he was on the verge to tell Qui the deal was not good enough for him the guard, Fea, responded to Qui's request.  
  
"I can't, Lisher and the other irken prisoner have escaped."  
  
"What?!" Qui screamed in rage.  
  
"It wasn't my fault. . . I think it was um . . . Cwer's turn this time," Fea sputtered.  
  
"Who's in charge of guard duty?" Qui stressed.  
  
"Um, I am," Fea answered with near panic entering his voice.  
  
"You're also in charge of who is at guard, right? So you as well as Cwer are in for punishment."  
  
"No please, I can do better I promise," Fea said with the tone of a child in trouble.  
  
"You said that last time, take him away," she ordered, waving for the other guards to pause Fea out. "Ted, you're the new head guard," she said over Fea's yells and pleas. Ted just gulped and stood at attention. "Find the prisoners now! And I want them alive."  
  
"Qui, ma'am, it will be done," the irken responded in a deep voice before taking off on his mission.  
  
"It's so hard to find goo help these days."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Zim said as he gave Gir a sideway glace as the sir bounced into the room.  
  
"Anyway, it's time to move on. I tire of this test. Let's try a maze instead," Qui said looking out at the two children.  
  
"Look Qui, I have something to tell you," Zim began as he watched her pull down a control panel from its position above them. Qui looked at him and smiled evilly.  
  
"Say no more, you want to do the honors," she said swiveling the controls over to him. Zim froze for a moment. He didn't know what to do. Should he continue with his intentions to tell her the deals off, or should he keep going. "Just press the red button, please," she said again.  
  
"Um . . . " He paused, not wanting to make such a quick decision. But before he had time to think, Qui kissed him, sending the irken into complete confusion and chaos.  
  
"Oooooh," Gir said playfully. Zim quickly jumped back almost tripping over a garbage disposal unit.  
  
"What's wrong?" Qui asked. Zim just stared at her in disbelief. That was the first time that ever happened to him. Sure, he knew what it was, but why did she do that. Nobody in the Academy would even talk to him let alone kiss him. Did Qui love him? With this thought floating in his mind, all other thoughts were pushed aside.  
  
"Um . . . I don't . . . understand," Zim asked, finally. Qui looked at him funny, not quite understanding his actions either.  
  
"I. . .I thought . . . so you didn't think," Qui began, trying to find the right words to say.  
  
"Well, there was just. . .How about I just push the button," Zim said pressing the red control without thinking. Before he could think twice, a rumble came from under them all. Both irkens looked out the window to see the two humans sway back and forth on the treadmill, that had now stopped. Then suddenly walls of steel began jutting out of the ground forming walls and rooms, hallways and dead ends all around the human pair. Qui smiled as her little plan worked smoothly. She looked at Zim and frowned a little however. She didn't know that Zim wasn't ready for that yet, or she wouldn't have done that. Now an uncomfortable atmosphere surrounded them, leaving her in a pool of doubts.  
  
The alien beside her, felt strangely ill at the moment. He was in an array of different thoughts and feelings, all of which played against one another. He was a traitor in the eyes of the humans, a hero to his home planet for bringing down the Arco, and still hurt for what his leaders had done to him, while thankful for what the humans did for him. However this was nothing compared to the fact that just came to light. He glanced at Qui for a moment until their eyes met in which he turned away quickly. More confused than ever, he wished he could have time to think it all out.  
  
"Well, Zim, um will be reaching the end of the testing soon, then it's on to glory. The Tallest can't ignore this," Qui said, breaking the thick silence  
  
"You know, Qui, I don't think . . . I don't think this is a good idea," Zim finally blurted.  
  
"What do you mean," Qui asked rasing an eyebrow. However before Zim could answer a small familiar noise startled them.  
  
"Meow."  
  
"Max! I swear you're everywhere," Zim shouted in surprise. The small cat bounced out from it's hiding place behind the door and rubbed up against Qui.  
  
"I remember you, somehow," Qui said staring down at the feline, "but where you are, gives me the impression so is someone else." Max just purred and flipped his tail while looking back up to the irken. Meanwhile, in the arena, Qui's assumption was correct. Juelia and Lisher had managed to sneak around the guards through the air ventilation system, and now were drilling a hole into the side of the cage Gaz, Chris, and Membrane were in.  
  
"Hurry, they check on us every two minutes," the now un-gagged Gaz whispered as she watched the two aliens tear at the irken metal.  
  
"Believe me, I'm going as fast as I can," Juelia said.  
  
"Wow, this is so cool. I mean first spaceships, and aliens. Then we get captured, this is like a movie," Chris stated with excitement.  
  
"Yeah, only it's real," Gaz said flatly.  
  
"There," Juelia said as the hole was now large enough for all three to escape.  
  
"Where is my son?" Membrane asked trying to see over the walls of the maze.  
  
"Look professor, we have to get out of here first," Juelia said climbing back into the air vent by way of Lisher's cupped hands.  
  
"Come on, let's go then," Lisher said waiting for the rest. Gaz went first, then Chris, who nearly fell several times before making it in. The professor made it just in time for the guards to come in.  
  
"Hey you! Stop!" One irken yelled at Lisher.  
  
"Sorry, gotta go," Lisher replied hopping up into the duct. When he reached the safety of the vent the obvious reaction had already been taken. All five of them took off down the long passage.  
  
"All of them got away? I am so dead," Ted said from his spot next to the useless cage. In the meantime Dib and Red wondered around the maze due to the fact they had to. Every time they wanted to take a break the walls would close in or the floor would slowly drop out from under them. What seemed the most frustrating was the dead ends and endless hallways.  
  
"Dib . . . I can't keep this . . . up," Red huffed leaning up against the wall as a crutch.  
  
"I know . . . " Dib sighed, also using the wall as support. Then as if something clicked, he knew where to go. As they were walking in and out of dead ends and long hallways he noticed a strange pattern. Every right turn followed by a left was another wall in the face, but every three lefts followed by a right was open. Just like the rhyme of a marching army. Left, left, left, right . . . left.  
  
"That's it, it has to be," Dib said, leading down a long tunnel.  
  
"Got what?"  
  
"If I'm right we might make it out, while remaining sane!" Dib stressed as he turned left. So far he was right. " Left, left, left right." The hall was free of dead ends or blockage.  
  
"Your doing it, I get it now. Left, left, left, right then left," Red commented.  
  
"Right," Dib stated.  
  
"No, left," Red smiled, in spite of the situation. Dib smiled too, happy to see not all hope was lost, but no longer had he thought this, hope was shattered by the sight ahead of them. The exit was clear to see, but two mean obstacles lay in the way. Two venomous rattlesnakes sat guarding the door, irritated by the presence of the two humans.  
  
"Oh yeah, this is so much fun. Disney has nothing on this, but I bet a root canal sure does," Red yelled, making sure that her voice was loud enough for Qui to hear. Upon hearing the girl's dismay, Qui smiled.  
  
"They must have found the surprise," the irken laughed. Max had a different reaction to his master's call. Before anyone or thing could make a move to stop him, the tiny animal bounded out of the room and in his own cat like ways made it into the arena. He clambered up to the sight of Dib and Red backing away from the enclosing snakes.  
  
Hiss! Max hissed at the two serpents and arched his back. Raising the fur of his body, extending his claws, and baring his teeth in a snarl he was ready to fight off the two reptiles. The cat also had experience with snake killing and knew his target was the head. Both snakes turned on the new threat to their territory. Red and Dib watched in fear as the small feline dodged the strike by leaping straight up and out. Then, with his claw-tipped paw, Max swung a blow to the rattlers head. However this did not intimidate either snake and both lunged for the feline. Max again bypassed and attacked by biting at one snake's middle. Then with a quick motion he moved to the serpents head and bite down hard, killing the snake. However the other reptile eluded the cat's sight and moved in behind him.  
  
"Max! Look out!" Red shouted. However, the cat was unprepared for this sneak attack. Dib knew this too, and without thinking quickly ran up and grabbed Max away from the strike. Unfortunately now the pale boy was in striking range and panicked to the point where motion was not an option. The snake recoiled for its second assault. Max struggled to get out of the boy's grip but was getting no where with it. Dib stood petrified. The rattler sprang out at the boy, but before it had a chance to penetrate its fangs into anything it received a swift kick, from Red, in the side; sending it into the wall.  
  
It was here that Dib's legs finally gave out and collapsed. Red in seeing what she just had done with her bare feet had to regroup herself. Max wasted no time getting out of Dib's arms and finishing the viper off with one blow to the head. Then, as if nothing happened, the feline began licking his paws and washing his face in a calm manner.  
  
"What!?" A sinister, angry voice boomed as the walls of the maze slide down. Dib looked up to see Qui and Zim heading their way. As they drew near, he noticed the enraged Qui and what appeared to be a regretful Zim.  
  
"Stupid CAT," she barked, rearing her foot back and kicking at the animal. Max didn't flinch, just blinked up at the mad irken.  
  
"Stupid Girl," Qui said stepping past Red with a sneer. "But you," she spat grabbing Dib by the collar of his shirt and raising him up to face her, "are just plain sad." Then she let go of him, sending the weak boy to the ground. Max hissed in the irken's general direction, in which Qui response to was kicking the cat in the side.  
  
"Hey! What's wrong with you, you idiot," Red snapped as she picked up her stunned cat.  
  
"Don't start with me, you humans are all the same. Weakened by emotions and . . . and," Qui paused for a moment.  
  
"And mindless of reality," Zim added blandly.  
  
"Yeah, why not, mindless, brainless creatures." Dib glanced up at the evil irken and glared.  
  
"At least were decent," he spat, "Where I'm from this is inhuman, not that your kind cares, right Zim?" Qui looked back at the human with disgust.  
  
"Zim doesn't care about your petty human logic, Irkens are superior to all races, and it would be wise for you to remember that," Qui stated.  
  
"Superior, ha, try arrogant," Red said under her breath. Qui's temper began to flare at the two humans disrespect. They were under her control, but they still insisted on insulting her; she could have them killed just like that, but she could not kill that spirt and this enraged her. Zim on the other hand, thought about what Dib and Red said. It was true, most irkens were pompous, but not by choice. It was embedded in their minds to think their way was the right way and the only way.  
  
"I don't know what you want or why you want it, but your not getting it from me," Dib replied coldly.  
  
"I only want one thing," Qui said with strain.  
  
"What! What is it then?!" Qui pulled a laser from her pod, and both humans became alarmed by the sudden presence of the weapon. Qui aimed the barrel at he pale boy's head, and even though he had come close to death on several different occasions, his body still reacted by perspiration on his brow and fear in his eyes.  
  
"This is the end of the line," she smiled, pulling the trigger. What happened next was quick and confusing. Zim charged the female irken, crashing into her with surreal force. The beam of deadly heat was misguided, but not enough to miss its target completely. Dib fell backwards hitting his head on the ground and stunned by the shot. Red screamed and quickly ran to the boy's side, as so did Max. Qui looked up to see Zim looking down on her with disgust in his eyes, but also confusion. He had no doubt that what he just did was correct, but he knew also that it wasn't Qui's fault she acted the way she did.  
  
he remembered those days of wanting to destroy and kill anything that was less than perfect, less than irken. In fact for a moment he had actually reverted to that time in his thinking, but now he knew what to do. He picked up the fallen laser and crunched it in his hands, which wasn't that difficult for him. Then he ran over to Dib to check on the harm done. Red was a little wary of letting Zim check on the boy, but there was noting she could do, so the girl allowed the irken to see him.  
  
"Come on were getting out of here," Zim announced motioning for Red to help him carry the unconscious human, who now had a wound on his right shoulder.  
  
"Oh, I don't think so," a voice from behind them said. Both turned around to see an odd sight. Juelia, Gaz, Chris, and Professor Membrane stood with their hands raised in the air. They also noticed that Qui had stood up, but made no movement towards them.  
  
"Who said that," Zim asked.  
  
"I did." Lisher stepped out from behind the group armed with Juelia's laser.  
  
"You're a . . . a intelligente!" Zim exclaimed.  
  
"No kidding. Now, stand away from the boy," Lisher spat waving the gun at the pair. The irken stood and backed away from Dib's still form, however Red didn't budge.  
  
"You too, human." Still the girl stayed along with Max, who was tenderly tending to the young boy's injury. She glared at the alien before moving her attention to Dib. Tearing the sleeve from her long sleeved shirt she slowly bandaged the now stirring Dib.  
  
"That's enough, now step away." Without saying a word the young girl stood up and placed herself between Dib and Lisher. Zim, who was standing the closest, was anticipating another shot to ring out, but instead he heard Lisher's laugher. Everyone was shocked by this sudden outburst, and all eyes shifted to the alien. What they saw surprised them even more. Gir was latched around Lisher's middle by his android legs and tickling the evil one.  
  
"Get . . . this thing . . . off," Lisher cried.  
  
"Good work Gir," Zim shouted as he ran up to gain the laser. However, before he could reach him, the tables turned once more. The intelligente knocked the little sir unit off and shot the poor robots head, cutting Gir offline.  
  
"Gir!" Zim cried as he watched his little insane robot slump forward. Then he growled in Lisher's direction. "Now, it's really personal." The irken reached out and nabbed Lisher's throat, knocking the gun from his hands. Juelia quickly ran up and grabbed th weapon. Gaz, Chris, and Membrane ran to Dib's side. The struggle between Lisher and Zim was now growing more fierce as each lashed out with rage and anger. Zim was small and fast, but Lisher knew more about combat moves that seemed to keep the irken on his toes.  
  
"Don't move," Juelia spat as she held the gun at Lisher. The irken and intelligente froze in a position to chew that others limbs off.  
  
"Guards, take Lisher away now!" A familiar voice shouted.  
  
"No. I'm not going back, Qui," Lisher said standing away from Zim.  
  
"Yes you are," Qui stated as she walked in closer from her spot just behind Juelia.  
  
"No I'm not!" Lisher shouted as he charged Juelia and in a blink of an eye, took the laser and aimed it at Qui. Her horror stricken face seemed to please the intelligente as he aimed more for her head.  
  
"I'm leaving, and I'm taking him with me. Your race will come to its knees once I get to Earth and exploit these beings. I'll train them to be irken destroying machines. To bad you won't be around to see the day the Irken Empire falls," Lisher snarled.  
  
"And how are you going to get there? You know as well as I do, that I'm the only one with the correct coordinates to the planet," Qui retaliated.  
  
"Not anymore, it seems these guys know exactly where Earth is," Lisher said referring to Zim and Juelia. Zim, who had his fill of talk, decided to take action. In one swift move he dove down and took Lisher off balance just as he fired. Again the gun was dropped and again Juelia regained control of it. Luckily the misfire had hit nothing but the side of the arena. Zim took the liberty of tying the intelligente up so the trickster couldn't pull another stunt.  
  
Qui, however saw the save in a different light. Zim had saved her life, and by Irken standards she was in debt to him. Unfortunately for her, Zim and Juelia knew this as well. The guards filed in at this point and began the process of taking Lisher away. The intelligente glared at the group, but continued with the guards in silence. The irkens then tried to proceed by taking the others captive, but Qui held up her hand and stopped their action.  
  
"Zim, what do you ask for," she asked, already knowing what his dreaded response would be.  
  
"You know now what I want. Let us go back to Earth, in Peace! I never want to set foot on another irken ship again, nor do I want to go to Irk," he demanded walking up to Qui.  
  
"Very well then," Qui grinned, "but the boy stays, or no deal."  
  
"I will not leave without the Dib-human!"  
  
"And I will not let you leave with him!" Juelia decided to remain on guard. She wasn't going to be captured alive again, and she wasn't going down without a fight, no matter how many soldiers were there. The humans had managed to have Dib regain consciousness. They didn't want to move him in fear of further injury, but they had to if they wanted to get him out. What was really troubling was the fact that the small boy was losing blood so quickly. Red's make shift bandage was already damp and growing less useful. Gaz decided to do the same and tore her sleeve to provide another bandage to Dib's wound.  
  
"What happened?" the pale boy murmured as his fuzzy vision sharpened.  
  
"Don't move," the professor said, applying the bandage to his shoulder.  
  
"I'm . . . I'm bleeding! Where's the shot, am I going to die?" Dib asked, panic creeping into his voice.  
  
"Keep still, ya big baby, your going to be fine," Gaz stated. Dib drew in a long deep breath and laid his head back down on the cool ground, which was just as well, for now he had a headache. He tried to stay focused but for some odd reason his mind and body wanted to rest. Slowly closing his eyes, he was startled when Red shook him slightly.  
  
"Stay awake, we don't know how bad this is," she said.  
  
"Oh yes . . . okay I'll stay up." This was easier said then done as the boy kept involuntarily falling to sleep. However Rosa was always there to wake him up and keep him talking as the others either watched the fighting irkens or tear off clothing to help Dib's shoulder.  
  
"You must give up this stupid quest, Dib is smart yes, but harmless to the Irken Empire," Zim stated.  
  
"I can not go back to my Tallest empty handed. I will once again be known as the failure," Qui shouted.  
  
"Listen, who says that you have to go back," Zim said.  
  
"That's treachery, I would never . . ."  
  
"Look back. When you let the infant boy go, what did you feel? Was it not treachery by irken standards or more correctly, the Tallest standards," Zim shouted. Qui was confused and shocked. Sure, she had let the human go, but that was a mistake, right? One she should correct, or should she? She could remember letting the child and its mother go and how it felt so right. However she was soon to find out that it was wrong, but by whose standards?  
  
"I don't know . . . I . . . just don't really know," She cried in despair. Everything was in question by her one act of kindness and treachery.  
  
"Put yourself in their shoes, any ones shoes. How would it feel if your home was being destroyed, or your family, friends, life was torn by our race. It's hard to tell what's right sometimes, but I know Irk is wrong, dead wrong."  
  
"Zim, Juelia, and even you humans," Qui finally said from the pit of her throat, "you may go. I Never want to see you Again, Ever." There was a silence that enveloped the room that almost suffocated the occupants of the arena. The guards were stunned by this decision and just stood ideal, not knowing what else to do. Juelia and Zim seemed to be in a non moving position too.  
  
"Qui?" Zim asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I ask one thing?"  
  
"I know, I know. The boy. I'll get him some medical attention, fine, now go!"  
  
"Thank you, but what I want to say is Thank you," he said calmly.  
  
"Your welcome," she murmured.  
  
"Me too, thank you," Juelia said. Qui looked up at the two who were standing in front.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for not shooting me," Chris blurted out.  
  
"Thank you," Red said bravely. Qui was more stunned by the young girl's gratitude then the past three. She had been so cruel, and so horrendous to this human. Any irken would have spit on her given the chance, but she thanked her.  
  
"Thank you," Gaz said lowly. The professor just nodded not feeling much like talking . He never wanted to see this, and he never wanted to believe it, but there was no denying it now.  
  
"Thank you for saving my mother and me," Dib rasped more from a subconscious state of mind.  
  
"And I'm sorry," Qui whispered, before lowering her head. "Now, go."  
  
The End  
  
*~ That's it. Hope you liked it. And Thank you all for the nice reviews on this and my other stories. Reviews are really what the author runs off of. Enjoy! :-) 


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